Call of Duty: Iron Wolf (COD: WAW 2)
by Cimil20
Summary: As vicious fighting continues in the Second World War, Viktor Reznov's story continues as well, both through his eyes and the eyes of those connected to him... And the truth of his service and his fate might finally be revealed as well.
1. Prologue: A Brief History Lesson

_The 1930s was a dark period in Europe and Asia... One leading to the most catastrophic war of the modern age._

 _When the Nazis rose to power in 1933, their leader, Adolf Hitler, turned Germany into the most powerful and strongest military power in Europe, if not the world. Hitler already goes forth with his expansionist policy by marching into the industrial Rhineland, which would be followed by Germany seizing Austria and Czechoslovakia in 1938, further worrying the British and the French._

 _In 1926, with the ascension of Emperor Hirohito, known as Showa, the Empire of Japan would become an incredibly aggressive and militarized society, much like in Germany. Not satisfied with their current possessions of Korea and Taiwan, the now aggressive Japanese military adopts a greater imperial doctrine by invading and seizing Manchuria in 1931. The two conflicts rapidly become closer together, when starting in 1936, Germany and Japan form a strong alliance, promising to assist each other in the case of war with another power, namely the United States or the Soviet Union._

 _Finally, the Second World War begins in July of 1937, with Imperial Japan's brutal invasion of China. In a series of vicious battles, Japanese forces crush Chinese resistance and seize much Chinese land, and one by one, Chiang Kai Shek's cities fall. While Chinese soldiers kept fighting against the invaders, after seizing the cities of Beiping and Tientsin, the Japanese went on to take Shanghai, where they faced determined opposition by the Chinese army. Once further Chinese ambushes slow down the Japanese advance, the response would be ruthless... For Imperial Japanese troops would savagely ravage the city of Nanking, leaving at least over 250,000 civilians dead... And throughout the war, more atrocities would follow, as the Imperial Japanese army would brutally massacre over twenty million Chinese civilians and destroy much of their homes in a sadistic genocide... Still, the Chinese resisted the Japanese invaders fiercely as Chiang Kai Shek moves his capital to Chungking._

 _In 1938, the war would heat up, as the Japanese army attempts an incursion North into the Soviet Union. However, after the Russians defeat the Japanese decisively at Khalkhin Gol, the Imperial military decides to move South instead. War also spreads to and heats up in Europe, for as mentioned before, Germany seized Austria and Czechoslovakia, just before they planned to take their next target. In September of 1939, the Germans invade Poland, bringing itself into war with Britain and France. Using fierce Blitzkrieg tactics, Germany gains a string of successes, fiercely beating out British and French forces as the Germans seize Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway and Denmark before the German army then crushes and seizes France. Soon, the Germans also conquer Greece, Yugoslavia and Crete._

 _In 1941, after Germany conquers most of Europe, due to the failures of Italy, German forces invade North Africa. In a series of fierce battles, the Germans seize much North African territory, while German soldiers keep fighting fiercely and crushing their British opponents across Libya and into Egypt in a string of brilliant victories. German general Erwin Rommel drives to take Cairo and the Suez Canal. Though the fight in the desert would become a sideshow, for later that year, an impatient Hitler breaks his pact with the Soviets, and in the colossal struggle that would follow, Hitler's armies invade the vast Soviet Union and drive forth towards Moscow. In the ferocious fighting, the Germans would conquer most of Eastern Europe, but would be bested by their failures to take Moscow and Leningrad, and as the Russians keep offering determined resistance to the invading German army, the vicious battle of Stalingrad halts the German offensive... It would become apparent that Hitler's invasion of Russia would be his greatest mistake... But sadly, that doesn't stop the Nazis' genocidal intentions for, alongside their persecution of Europe's Jewish population, the Nazis would brutally murder over twenty million Russian civilians._

 _Still, the defiant Losif Stalin refuses to break to Hitler's ruthless invasion and his Soviet army continues to resist even fiercely. In 1941, general Hideki Tojo becomes Japan's prime minister, and he expands greatly on the aggressive imperial agenda, making further ruthless advances into China. Emboldened by Germany's success and frustrated by America's attempts to curb Japanese aggression, Tojo has the Imperial Navy commence a surprise raid on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, causing an infuriated America to declare war on Japan immediately, which would be followed by Germany declaring war on the United States in return._

 _While the Germans seized most of Europe and much of North Africa, the Japanese continue expanding into China while still engaging with vicious Chinese resistance to the brutal invasion. Knowing that they have to act quickly after Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces invade and seize French Indochina, Burma, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaya before crushing British forces at Singapore as well as conquering the Philippines. The Japanese also establish bases within the Pacific islands to defend itself from any Allied offensives... Soon, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor would prove to be their fatal mistake, just as Germany's invasion of Russia._

 _However, despite the Axis successes, Russia prepares to strike back and crush Germany as America will also strike back and crush Japan... But it would still be a long, ruthless road towards victory... And vengeance... Heroes would then immediately emerge to fight the armies of evil._


	2. Heroes of War

_...My Life... My life has been one of war... I've seen and participated in great brutality, bloodthirsty savagery... And I was very proud... All my enemies deserved what I inflict upon them. My enemies are evil, and evil can only be and should only be destroyed, never cured... Still, many would not know this of me... For before my time of war, I lived very much in peace..._

 _I, Viktor Reznov... Yes, I lived in peace, up until the Great Patriotic War... Through out my youth, my father raised me alone. We enjoyed hunting together and practising music, while I lived on my own after I became of age, we were still close... My father was a skilled violinist, and I inherited those skills for myself... Oh yes, with his teaching and his violin, soon, I myself filled the air with very sweet music, and all that could hear stood just to listen and be swayed by its lovely sound... In fact, I believe that's how I first met Lilya, the love of my life._

 _I lived most of my life in Stalingrad, working extensively in my job as a bread maker. In my spare time, I would sometimes go to the local bar to meet with friends and lovers, and conversations of cheer filled with stories of legends, wisdom and mischief, they just sparkled away... And that was where I met Lilya... When she asked me to play my violin, she loved the sound that she could hear as I played... And we've been in love ever since._

 _Lilya and I have been happily married for twelve years now, and it would only further my joy as we had two lovely daughters together... I still worked very hard making bread, and I still enjoyed a few small drinks from the local bar... But my family was what was most important to me... My life was devoted to them... But it was also devoted to my country... Yes, the two women of my life, my lovely wife Lilya, and my glorious country Mother Russia._

 _I loved my life of peace, everything about it just filled with gorgeous romance and joy... And sadly, this would all come to an end... My time of peace would be over... War would consume my life, along with a deep thirst for vengeance... And as much as I would try to leave such a world of violence behind afterwards, I would always come back for me, never allowing me to escape it... Yes, I have tried to live in peace again, but I changed into a man of war... And war is what would ultimately take my life._

 _When the Nazis took control of Germany, I never trusted them, even with the pact between our two nations... And I was right to be suspicious, and luckily, I had already enlisted in the Red Army in 1938... The Nazis invaded the Soviet Union in 1941... And they massacred millions of innocents and burned down homes across Russia... They entered the city of Stalingrad, my home... And as I fought them in the outskirts of the city I saw them slaughter civilians, my friends and burn down their houses... My home city was burning and the inhabitants dying... This infuriated my deeply... My father could not escape it either, as his throat was slit... From then on, I became committed to ridding Russia of these savages and driving on to crushing the Fuhrer's Third Reich._

 _And as I survived the massacre of my comrades in Red Square, I found a peculiar comrade to help me in my vengeance... Dimitri Petrenko... After he had shown his markmanship in assassinating General Heinrich Amsel, the Nazi bastard known as the 'Architect of Stalingrad's Misery', he became my closest companion, and we fought beside each other across the battlefields of Russia and Germany... As we kept fighting in Stalingrad after Amsel's assassination, Dimitri even helped me regain my skills as a sniper, after they had temporarily been lost due to the injury of my hand..._

 _We fought together in numerous battles against the Germans, driving forth towards Berlin... But before our vengeance could be achieved, we would still have to repel the German army out of Russia... And so we would embark on the long bloody path towards victory._

 _For this, you should hear my story... It describes my true fate, my true service... But it cannot only be told through my own eyes... No... You must also hear it from the eyes of of those who are connected to me... Who have a connection to me through this war... That's how you can understand the depth, the feel of our conflict... How it affected me and my comrades... How it lead to my fate._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Viktor Reznov  
_

 _Russian soldier of the Soviet Red Army_

* * *

 _... ..._

 _...And that's why you're now hearing my story..._

 _Why are you hearing from me? What connection do I have towards this 'Viktor Reznov'... Well, I myself am not yet sure... I've never met him, never even met a friend of his... Still, I must have some connection, as that's why you're hearing from me... Let's find out together, shall we..._

 _...I am very loyal to my great country, I love my home... But even then, I hate the men who rule it..._

 _Yes, my home nation, is Germany... The Fatherland... And it's now ruled by Adolf Hitler and his Nazis... I am a loyal German who despises the Nazi government, and their policies... Hitler, the Nazis, the SS, they sicken me... Their control over our lives, their destruction of homes... And the atrocities, their mass murder of civilians, their torture and starvation of prisoners... The persecution of Jews, and later, mass execution of them... They can try to keep it secret from the public, oh, but I know... They leave a stain on Germany's honour, our valour... Hitler is Germany's enemy..._

 _Still, I am loyal to my country, and that is why I am a soldier in the German army, ever since I enlisted in 1940... Why do you ask, that if I hate the Nazis so much, then why do I fight for them, simple... I don't fight for them at all, I fight for Germany... I fight to defend my country, my home, my friends... My Heidi... Oh, my beautiful Heidi, we've been married for seven years now, and even amidst the conflict I am immersed in, you are what is first on my mind... For will I love you always..._

 _...I know of Hitler's persecution of the Jewish, and if I make it back to Europe, I plan to do what I can to save as many as I can... Even if it costs me my life... My loyalty to the German army is not the only reason I stay as a soldier, for I know that others within the Wehrmacht share my sentiments, and I sincerely hope that once we have successfully defended our home... That a contingent would rise up and overthrow the Fuhrer._

 _Still, Germany is at war with foreign powers, such as the British and the French... So I will fight bravely to defend Germany from these enemies as a loyal German soldier..._

 _...But I am no friend of the SS..._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Heinrich Schifler,_

 _German soldier of the German Afrika Korps_


	3. M-1: Line in the Sand - Pt 1

_Tunisia... The seas of immense sand surround us, glistening and scorching under the blazing hot sun above... Oh boy, I can't stand the desert, it's rough and coarse, it's hot, and it's just endless... Occasionally, we find a nice, refreshing, palm tree laden oasis to cool off, but it's still just scorching sand... Though, then again, I do prefer the heat as opposed to the cold, so I'm glad I'm not in Russia._

 _But that's not the only reason I'm glad for that, for I know that the SS had accompanied the Wehrmacht there as well... That was not the case here.  
_

 _Here, we have the German Afrika Korps, which I am a part of... These German soldiers fight very fiercely, bravely and honorably, skillfully crushing their opponents... Still, they show much restraint, never committing massacres or other such crimes, and treating prisoners well... I guess you can thank Field Marshall Erwin Rommel for that... I just wish the rest of the Wehrmacht was like the Afrika Korps._

 _Rommel is indeed an idol of mine... Not only is he a skilled commander, he understands the realistic world of mortality, but he doesn't accept the abuse of it._

 _I've been fighting fiercely in numerous vicious battles and skirmishes in the deserts and villages of North Africa for about two years now, fighting with my fellow German soldiers against the British forces in the desert... Including my squad... My best friend, Hans Kiefel, fights beside me... We've been friends for many years, and we would never leave each other's side... He was with me at my wedding to Heidi, even with me around the time when I spent my last moments with my wife before being deployed to Africa with Sonnenblume... Another close comrade is Captain Reinifer, a wise an caring man who made the safety of his men as much a priority as the success of a mission. While he was just a Captain, he was ultimately left in charge right now after a recent ambush lead to the death of our Colonel.  
_

 _I fight very bravely and honorably here... But something I don't understand about Rommel, is how he feels a sort of kinship with the Limeys, how we should've been allies against the Soviets... For me, I hate the British... I hate them because they're the enemy, attempting to destroy my country... I will fight them to the death to defend my home country... And Kiefel, oh he hates the Limeys even more... Honestly, some times, I wish I could be ruthless to them, but I am not because... The expectations that Rommel has for me, and the standards I have for myself as a proud soldier of the Afrika Korps... I know I'm better than that... But I still won't share a drink with the prisoners.  
_

 _Still, amidst the heat and constant British ambushes, Tunisia isn't all bad... Most notably the local people are very friendly and helpful... My fellow soldiers came across a tribe of nomadic Arabs, traveling to a nearby village for water... And we helped them move some of their possessions and gave them some of our rations... And in return, they gave us much food, some other supplies and even a few words of advice on how to sustain in the desert... That night, we even partied and conversed with the nomads... it was so much fun... I don't think our officers were comfortable to see us fraternizing with the Arabs, except for Captain Reinifer, ...But we didn't really care.  
_

 _I particularly remember this boy, about ten years old, and I taught him how to play football... Then by next morning, the tribe was on their way to the nearby village, and we waved to them as they walked away... And entered into British territory... It reminded me of back in 1936, shortly after I joined the army, when me and some fellow German soldiers, including Kiefel and Reinifer, visited the lands of China and Japan in the Far East as part of a guard for a delegation, before becoming part of the 21st, and during our time there, we often engaged in very friendly interactions with the Chinese and Japanese locals of those countries... They were so helpful and friendly to us, and we had much fun with them... It saddens me that good people like that get caught up in the conflicts of others...  
_

 _...These moments of peace I have here while still fighting in battle are refreshing... I will always treasure them... And remember them, even if they become ruined._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Heinrich Schifler_

 _German soldier of the German Afrika Korps_

* * *

 _Tunisia... Little more than sand, heat and British ambushes... After two years of vicious fighting in the deserts, Germany conquered North Africa, but eventually, we found ourselves fighting hard to hold on to this small sandy country of Tunisia... We came to this nearby town called Khirsijine, a major supply route, and we've been holding this defensive line just a couple miles outside of the British controlled village... We believe the British will assault our defensive lines,... We defend it, and if we hold it, we will fight across the desert and seize the town, then hold it to the last man from any counterattacks... That's simple, right?  
_

 **'Line in the Sand'  
**

 **Tunisia, North Africa**

 **April 26, 1943**

 **Cpl. Heinrich Schifler**

 **21st Panzer Division**

As I sat in my tent, writing in German in my personal notebook, I could feel some bright sun seeping through the opening of my tent's flaps... But I just brushed my golden colored hair out of my eyes as I looked briefly into a nearby mirror, seeing my thin, yet slightly chiseled face with blond hair and a full mustache and blue eyes, then I looked down at my journal and just kept writing, mostly my experiences about the war, or how I am feeling when I think of friends of the past, particularly Heidi, or what I plan to do in the future...

It was at that moment that a voice spoke to me outside of the tent, and like a reaction, I closed my book and hid it in my back pack. "Heinrich, are you in there?" The voice called out, and this gave me relief as I recognized that voice... That of Private Hans Kiefel... My comrade in arms... My friend.

Kiefel entered and looked at me, looking somewhat different from my appearance... We were both about six feet, but while I had a slimmer, more fit and athletic build with blond hair and mustache, Kiefel had a slightly thicker build, with brown hair and mustache, and while I was more fast and agile, he had more muscle strength... We've been together ever since we were teenagers, and as we were in our late twenties now, we still fought alongside each other in the desert.

"I'm fine, Hans," I responded, "What do you want?"

"Well nothing much, Heinrich," Kiefel responded, "...Just checking on my best man... And seeing if he has his future planned out for him yet."

"You know it." I said casually.

"Is Heidi doing well... Still as gorgeous as ever?"

"Yes, Hans... And you just wish you could have her."

"And your house is being kept up, yes?"

"Fine as ever."

This, however, only intrigued Kiefel into seeing my poorly hidden journal, "Still working on that bullshit, are you?" he asked.

"It's not bullshit, Hans," I replied, a little irritated as I held up my journal, "I believe in this... It's important to me."

"All right, all right, I know," Kiefel said, "It's just... You treat this like it's some sort of story, you save somebody, they live happily ever God damn after... Just how many Jews do you plan on saving anyways, and how do you even plan to save them?"

"...I... I don't know... I'm not there yet, but I am working on the escape plan, see," As I then held up my opened journal to the page showing a map of Northern Germany and the Baltic seas between it and Sweden and continued explaining, "...I have friends up in Northern Germany, and they know my sentiments... They have boats that can take them into Sweden."

"And where are you going to get these Jews from, Heinrich... If you manage to get some out of the ghettos, how will you get them towards the sea to Sweden, without getting spotted by any of Hitler's bastards."

"...I'm still working on it."

"If you get caught, all the Jews'll get slaughtered and you'll hang, shot at, have your limbs and tongue torn out... And even if you succeed, what if Hitler decides to just take Sweden too, what then, huh?"

"Shit, Hans," I replied, a bit frustrated, "Why are you always like this?"

"...Look, Heinrich," Kiefel said after a sigh, "You know me... I have nothing against what you're planning, and if anything, you have me with you whatever you decide... I'm just being realistic, and the reality is, it just doesn't look achievable."

"...I'm sorry, Hans." I said solemnly.

"I'm worried about you, Heinrich," Kiefel said with grave concern, "This is very dangerous thinking... Even around here, talking like that would get you in trouble... And, frankly, it's making you rather stressed, enough to make you old."

"Oh, stop it."

"Come on and take your mind off this," Kiefel said as he stood up and walked out of the tent, "Enjoy the endless sun." With my desert tan under shirt, trousers and jackboots on, I put on my brown M 40 tunic jacket and left it unbuttoned as I then wrapped my supply belt around the bottom of my waist and clipped it on just before I put on my back pack and then grabbed my tan M35 Stahlhelm helmet and put it on my head.

After that, I slung my scoped Gewehr 43 rifle onto my back and then brandished my primary weapon, a captured Thompson SMG with a round drum... I usually prefer Allied weapons... And with my Stahlhelm on my head and my Thompson in my hands, I went outside and walked along with Kiefel as we casually moved our way down the German camp surrounding us.

"Well, how's that for relief, Heinrich," Kiefel asked jokingly, "Sand and more fucking sand for us to see." Indeed, there was nothing but sand and palm trees around. There was a small refreshing oasis to the right of them, but still, a sea of sand surrounded them. Here was where the Germans made their position, forming a strong defensive line at the front, aiming towards the desert leading to Khirsijine, which in battle, would be defended by rifle and machine gun armed infantry, a couple of em placed MG42 guns, and even a few Panzer IV tanks to support the infantry from behind.

Behind the German line, was another line of German positions, but then followed by the German camp, where soldiers were busy moving and maintaining weapons, supplies, ammunition and equipment around the camp to prepare for any assault, while other soldiers ate their lunch, drank some cool as ice water under the hot sun and conversed... Kiefel and I walked through the camp over towards the German front defensive line.

"So has Heidi sent you another letter yet?" Kiefel asked.

"Yeah," I said, "...She said that my boy's turned one last October... I just wish I could see him."

"Well... Just remember, if I hadn't given you that time spent with Heidi in late January, right before we were sent here in February, you wouldn't even have a son... And now that you do, I believe thanks are in order."

"Oh, of course _you'd_ take credit for that, you egomaniac," I said sardonically, "...I will not thank you for being able to share a 'private moment' with my wife... And if anything, you should be thanking me, Hans."

"And for what, exactly?"

"First time I saw you in combat," I said, pointing a finger right under the base of Kiefel's skull, "You had a Limey Enfield, pointed right there... My sharp marksmanship saved you, so you owe me."

"Fine... What do you want?"

I thought for a brief moment, and then a devious grin entered on my face as I held out my hand and spoke, "Forty marks."

"What?! ...I'm not paying you just to do your job."

"Well, that's why one does a job in the first place, now hand it over, butter and egg man."

" _Butter and egg man_? ...Really, Heinrich, you listen to too much Yankee radio, you ought'a be careful... Anyone finds out you listen to that, you could be shot."

"Oh, like what I listen on the radio is any different from what everyone else here in this regiment listens to."

"Yes, but those are just the regulars. Reinifer may be okay with it, but any other officer won't... Besides, I don't have forty marks."

"Fine, I'm generous... I'll be back tomorrow for the _eighty_ marks."

However, as we walked down the pathway, soon we heard a man, our officer, Captain Reinifer, as he readied his MP 40 gun and shouted, "British forces are assaulting our positions! Men, get into your defences now!" ...And immediately, all the German soldiers in the camp put on their Stahlhelm helmets to replace their soft tropical field caps before grabbing their rifles and machine guns and rushing over to their positions, while those already with helmets grabbed supplies and ammunition to set up the MG 42 emplacements.

"Shit, the fucking Limeys are coming here." I said as I readied my Thompson, and then ran over and got in position in the defensive line with Kiefel and the others, with me aiming my SMG at the desert before me and Kiefel aiming his MP 40. The defensive lines were filled a great line with German infantry soldiers, all aiming their rifles at the desert where the British would come from. They mostly had German Gewehr 43s or MP 40s, but many also fielded captured Thompson SMGs, Bren machine guns and even BAR assault rifles from prior engagements with the Americans from the West.

As I was with the great defensive line of German infantry, all aiming our rifles at the desert, behind us were a a couple MG 42 emplacements ready to give covering fire while there were a few other positions around just behind the defensive line that had soldiers that would give covering fire from MP40s and scoped Kar 98ks... And behind them, were a couple of em placed Panzer IV tanks, ready to give support fire or smash Crusader tanks with shells.

...Yes, we were all ready for combat, strong and determined as British artillery shells rained down around the camp, splashing into the sea of desert before the German line and sprinkling glistening grains of sand down on a few of the nearby German soldiers as if they were being salted... The barrage looked intense, but had really only caused very little damage to the camp and the Germans stayed ready... And after a few moments, large amounts of British infantry swarmed across the desert, all in their light tan uniforms and wide brimmed Brodie helmets as yellow as the desert sun, heading towards the German lines with Lee Enfield rifles and Thompson guns in hand.

"Shit," a German soldier said, "British infantry!"

"Open Fire!" Reinifer shouted.

The line of Germans all fired immense gunfire that cut numerous British down while MG 42 machine guns blazed incredible support, while I fired Thompson shots that nailed multiple enemies. Usual rifle fire just riddled enemy soldiers with bullets and ripped through flesh to pour blood out, and most enemies died this way... But those who fell victim to stronger machine gun fire and explosives had a more violent demise, with powerful MG 42 fire ripping apart flesh and tearing limbs off enemies in a bloody, gory mess, was well as shooting off pieces of flesh and riddling enemies in pools of splattering blood. The Germans all kept fighting and firing shots that nailed multiple enemies, furiously defending the trench from assaults.

"Die, you fucking dirty Limeys!" a German shouted.

Fighting viciously and hard, the German soldiers were all firing their rifles and machine guns, firing hails of intense gunfire at the British forces and shooting numerous soldiers. I fired and shot seven enemies with Thompson fire, but the British kept converging on us in the desert. In the vicious fighting that ensued, immense German rifle gunfire was cutting numerous British soldiers down. As the defensive line of German soldiers were firing some intense rifle fire, shooting multiple incoming enemies while still firing shots that raked and pinned some British infantry, shooting multiple enemies, positions behind us blazed supporting fire with MG 42 guns, which raked some British soldiers down... Reinifer even manned a nearby MG 42 to give some cover fire as well, pinning down British infantry with suppressing MG fire, all while the German infantry lining the trench kept firing intense hails of gunfire, which cut multiple enemies to pieces. I fired Thompson fire that nailed six British in the fierce battle, then the line of Germans fired intense gunfire that shot numerous more British as Kiefel and I fired cover shots that raked some others.

In the vicious battle, I fired Thompson fire and shot nine British soldiers. I kept fighting fiercely, firing hails of Thompson fire at British soldiers and shooting numerous more down while Kiefel fired some shots and razed a couple British. The intensely fierce fighting kept up as I shot six more British soldiers with SMG fire and then aimed and shot five more enemies while Kiefel gunned a few others down. The German soldiers kept firing hails of intense rifle fire, cutting numerous British soldiers down in the vicious battle, but while the fierce skirmishes kept up, some enemies returned fire and a few Germans were gunned down... The German soldiers kept fighting fiercely, firing more rifle fire that shot multiple British in fierce fighting, while also raking and pinning the other enemies. I kept fighting fiercely as well, firing more Thompson fire and shooting five more British soldiers with intense fire while Kiefel fired some supporting shots with his MP 40. A couple more Germans were gunned down, but I fired some shots that riddled five more enemies while Kiefel shot a few soldiers down.

The ferocious battle in the desert kept up as German soldiers kept firing immense rifle fire and cutting numerous British soldiers down in vicious fighting. Still, despite the massive amounts of infantry and even a few Crusader tanks coming into view, the Germans Kept fighting very hard, remaining stubbornly defiant. The Germans all kept firing immense gunfire that cut numerous British to pieces as I shot six enemies, then as the line of German infantry fired more intense rifle fire that shot multiple British, I fired Thompson fire that nailed six more enemies, then I kept firing and shooting six more British in the fierce fighting. Kiefel and Reinifer gunned several others down as the line of German infantry and I fired shots that raked and pinned more enemies. Intense German rifle fire kept shooting numerous British soldiers in vicious fighting, with stronger MG fire mutilating and ripping off enemy limbs and explosives shredding flesh open... It was a bloody massacre, but the British persisted and a few Germans were gunned down in return, which made the Germans ever more stubborn and they kept fighting on even fiercely, with German soldiers firing intense hails of rifle fire at British forces, cutting multiple enemies down in vicious fighting.

While the line of German soldiers kept firing intense rifle fire and cutting numerous more British down, I fired some Thompson fire and shot six British soldiers and then fired some covering fire that pinned some others down as well. Reinifer blazed some suppressing fire with his MG 42 and pinning British soldiers down, and as it was being reloaded by a nearby engineer, he kept fighting by firing his MP 40 gun. Kiefel fired some shots and gunned several more British down while a few more Germans were shot, but all the other Germans kept firing intense rifle fire, cutting numerous British down in return as blood stained the golden sand like red wine. A few more Germans were gunned down by enemy fire, but Kiefel and I fired some shots back and gunned multiple enemies in return. Intense German rifle fire kept striking numerous other British to pieces while German Panzers kept blasting enemy Crusader tanks to smouldering ruins resulting in burning steel, while I shot six more soldiers.

I fired some more SMG fire and shot five more British as Kiefel blazed some rounds and gunned down a few other enemies as well. The German line kept firing immense rifle fire and cutting down numerous British soldiers in intensely vicious fighting, and while Kiefel and I kept firing more SMG fire at enemy soldiers, MG 42s kept shredding several enemies to bloody pieces and Panzers destroyed a few more advancing Crusaders. The line of German infantry kept firing immense rifle fire at British forces in the vicious battle, shooting multiple British down in a hail of gunfire, while soldiers in positions behind us fired MP 40 SMGs and MG 42s at British soldiers to rake and pin several other enemies. The line of German infantry kept firing immense hails of gunfire that cut numerous British to shreds as I shot six more enemies with Thompson fire, then the Germans fired intense rifle fire that nailed multiple British in the vicious battle, all of us fighting very hard to defend the trench lines.

"Kill all these Limey bastards!" a German shouted.

As I kept firing Thompson fire at British forces, suddenly, some enemy bullets came and struck the sand near me, as another large British infantry force was making their way to our lines from the right side. "Shit... fucking shit!" I shouted and then kept firing more intense Thompson fire at enemy soldiers, shooting multiple British to pieces, "I'll kill all you fucking Limey bastards!"

"Shit!" a German soldier shouted, "Hit the Limey bastards on the right side, Kill them!"

More British soldiers swarmed across the desert towards the defensive lines as Crusader tanks rolled in from behind, imprinting their treads into the sand as they fired shells down on the Panzers, but though two friendly tanks were destroyed, the other Panzers fired back and destroyed a few of the Crusaders while MG 42 fire shredded enemy infantry.

"Shit," Kiefel shouted, "More fucking Limey infantry! I'll kill those bastards!"

"Come over here and fight, you Limey cowards!" a German soldier shouted.

Kiefel fired off some more furious shots at British soldiers and gunned a couple more down. The vicious battle raged ever intensely, and while a few more friendly soldiers were gunned down, the Germans kept firing hails of rifle fire from the defensive lines and shooting numerous British soldiers down in fierce fighting. As a couple more Germans got shot by enemy gunfire, I fired some intense Thompson fire and shot six British and then aimed at the right and shot five more as well. A few more German soldiers got shot, but as the British kept moving in, German soldiers kept firing more intense rifle fire and gunning more British soldiers down in the vicious skirmish. I kept fighting ever fiercely as I fired and shot five more British soldiers at the right, then fired more Thompson fire straight ahead that shot six more British and then I fired Thompson fire the right and shot another five in the fierce battle. Kiefel gunned a few others down as the line of German infantry kept firing immense hails of rifle fire in vicious fighting and gunning multiple more British soldiers down, raking them with intense fiery gunshots as the fierce battle kept up in blazing heat. I then fired Thompson shots that nailed seven more British soldiers.

"Shit!" a German soldier vented, "Fire the rifles on those fucking Limeys!"

As the German rifle fire and machine guns kept pinning down enemy British with cover fire, I kept fighting fiercely in the intense skirmish, firing more Thompson fire at British infantry and striking numerous enemies down in hails of gunfire. The vicious battle kept on as the line of German infantry kept firing more intense rifle fire at British forces and shooting multiple more enemies down in fierce fighting while Panzers destroyed two more Crusaders with fiery shells. I fired some more immense Thompson fire and shot six more enemies while Kiefel aimed and gunned another couple down. As the German soldiers in the defensive line kept firing more hails of intense rifle fire at British forces, shooting numerous enemies in fierce fighting as the MG 42 guns blazed some powerful rounds that ripped a couple limbs off a few enemies in a bloody display while the Panzers fired some shells that blew a few enemies into the skies. The British pressed on, and as I shot another five with Thompson shots, the line of Germans kept fighting fiercely in the vicious skirmish, firing immense gunfire that cut more down.

"Shit!" a German soldier said, "Hold this fucking line!"

"Burn in Hell, you Limey bastards!" another German shouted.

Kiefel and I kept blazing some covering shots at British infantry while German soldiers kept firing more hails of fire at the British force and gunning some more down. After much incredibly vicious fighting, however, as the German infantry kept firing more intense rifle fire and shooting multiple British soldiers, the enemy offensive started diminishing severely.

"That's it," Reinifer said, "Keep fighting, men! Push the British back!"

I fired some more intense Thomson fire and shot multiple more enemies down in fierce fighting. The line of German soldiers kept firing more intense hails of fire at British forces and gunning numerous down in the vicious battle and, as Kiefel and I fired more SMG fire at the enemy force... They had finally broken and started retreating back across the desert field before us.

"Hah," a German soldier said, "The Limeys are falling back!"

"That's right you British cowards," another German shouted, "Run!"

However, as Kiefel and I and walked over to Reinifer as he stood up from the MG nest, I stood next the officer as he started speaking his next move, "We're not done yet, men... There's still the British supply camp in the desert up ahead. We can use it to launch our assault on Khirsijine... Or else Monty will come back for this line."

"He fucking wishes." I said.

"Schifler," Reinifer continued, "You and Private Kiefel help lead the men across the desert towards the camp. Panzers will provide support."

"Is the presence of Limeys there heavy, Captain?" Kiefel just had to ask.

"Heavy enough," the Captain replied, "...Riflemen, fix bayonets in case of close quarter combat, now." Once the order was given, the Germans who had rifles pulled out their sharp bayonets and slid them onto the barrels of their guns, their shiny blades gleaming in the blazing sun.

"Shit... Well," Kiefel said, "Let's get moving, Heinrich."

Immediately, Kiefel, myself, and most of the German soldiers jumped out of the trenches and charged forth through the desert before us, while some remained to guard the defensive line and Reinifer embarked on one of the tanks and he lead a few other Panzers behind us. Once we had crossed over a dune, we found ourselves overlooking a desert sea of tan sand with several dispersed palm trees, and a great numerous amount of British infantry scattered around with several enemy rifle and machine gun positions and even a few tanks in support.

"Shit, Limey infantry in the desert," a German said, "Let's get the bastards!"

"Charge in!" I shouted, and immediately, Kiefel, myself and the German soldiers charged onto the desert sand, firing hails of rifle fire at British forces in the sandy sea. A vicious battle erupted immediately in the sea of sand as the numerous dispersed German soldiers fired more intense fire at British infantry in the desert, gunning multiple enemies down in fierce fighting as I fired my Thompson and shot two enemies down. It was complete chaos, as dispersed friendly and enemy soldiers were blazing immense fire at one another, and numerous soldiers on both sides were struck down by raging bullets. After several friendlies were gunned down, the German soldiers fired some rifle fire back and shot numerous more British, razing them with bullets that spilled away their blood into pools. The battle in the desert was incredibly fierce, but it kept up as the Germans kept advancing and firing more intense rifle fire amidst returning enemy bullets.

I fired some more Thompson fire and shot five more British down as Kiefel aimed and gunned a couple other enemies as well. Several Germans took cover by scattered Palm trees and kept firing their rifles at British infantry in the desert, and as a few more Germans were gunned down, I blazed some more Thompson fire and gunned two more British down. German rifle fire shot multiple British infantry in the vicious fighting, and blood further stained the sands. While the vicious fighting continued, Kiefel blazed some shots and gunned a few other enemies as I fired some more Thompson fire and shot five more British soldiers. The dispersed German soldiers kept firing immense hails of rifle fire at British infantry in the desert, gunning multiple more enemies down while a few more friendlies were shot as well.

As the infantry kept firing at one another, the Panzers blazed some shells that destroyed a few crusader tanks, though returning shells took out a couple Panzers. As Kiefel took out a couple other enemies with SMG fire, I fired my Thompson and gunned two more enemies down. The German soldiers kept fighting fiercely in eliminating British infantry in the open desert, gunning numerous enemies down in the fierce battle, but after clearing away the infantry in the sand and palm trees, they came to another challenge, enemy defensive nests filled with machine guns and many riflemen as well.

"Shit," a German soldier said, "Limey riflemen in the nests!"

"Fucking Bren machine guns!" Kiefel said, "Use the trees for cover! Clear those bastards out!"

I kept firing more Thompson fire at British infantry in the desert, gunning six enemies down, and as I kept fighting in the vicious battle I held cover behind a tree and then I surveyed the situation, managing to count five enemy defensive nests, each with a Bren machine gun and a platoon of enemy soldiers armed with Lee Enfield rifles or Thompson guns... While I still fired some more shots and gunned two more enemies down, I looked further in the distance, seeing a few Crusader tanks as well.

"Shit," a German soldier said, "They have more Crusader tanks!"

"Let the Panzers deal with those," Kiefel said, "Concentrate on the nests!"

As the German soldiers kept fighting fiercely and firing immense rifle fire at British infantry in the open desert, I kept firing more Thompson fire and gunning multiple British soldiers down in the desert as well. I then charged at a couple of British soldiers and started knocking them down with hard swings with my Thompson's stock, just before bloodily finishing them off with sharp slices from my knife. That's when I ran over to a couple of palm trees with Kiefel, in order to engage the Bren machine gun nests.

Holding our cover behind the trees, Kiefel and I fired some more intense SMG fire and shot six more British soldiers. Several friendlies were gunned down by the enemy machine guns, but as other German infantry kept firing immense rifle fire at British infantry and defensive positions in fierce fighting, Kiefel and I fired some covering shots at the Bren machine gun nests, though the enemy guns blazed some rounds back and gunned a few other Germans down. Still, the German soldiers fired intense gunfire back and pinned the British machine gunners into cover, and as Kiefel fired some covering shots, I fired some more Thompson fire and shot two British soldiers before I then ran over to another palm tree a bit closer to the enemy machine guns.

In the fierce fighting, several more Germans were gunned down my enemy machine gun and rifle fire, but as I fired some intense Thompson fire at the British defensive nests, the other German soldiers kept fighting and firing more immense rifle fire that shot numerous other British soldiers and pinned the machine gunners down.

"Shit," a German soldier shouted, "Machine guns!"

Kiefel and I immediately took to this concern of the men, still struggling with the machine guns as they kept battling the enemy infantry. As immense gunfire blazed and soared all over the open sand, from behind my new closer tree cover, I fired some more Thompson fire at two of the nests, pinning the gunners down with some shots until the return fire had me back behind the tree. That's when Kiefel and a few other Germans blazed some rounds at the enemy nests, and while a few more friendlies were gunned down, the other Germans kept fighting enemy infantry... And Kiefel and I fired intense SMG fire at the two nests, gunning down multiple riflemen in a vicious skirmish. The enemy gunners returned some fire and forced Kiefel into cover... Which was when I aimed and fired some shots that gunned down two more riflemen and then shot down one of the enemy gunners.

I fired some more shots and gunned another two enemies down while Kiefel blazed some rounds and struck another few down as well. A couple more friendlies were killed in the fighting in the desert, but after some more fierce fighting, the German soldiers fired immense rifle fire back and shot numerous enemies, though a few more Germans were gunned down as well. The other gunner kept blazing rapid bullets that splashed through the sand and splintered the trees... And one friendly had the unfortunate fate to get caught in the way... And have a few machine gun bullets shred through his throat, severing his head off and leaving blood to pour from the neck... And this made us more determined, as Kiefel threw a Stielhandgranate that blew off sand right next to the other nest. I then fired some shots that gunned two more British down and, before the gunner could recuperate, Kiefel aimed and blazed some rounds that struck down the gunner and cleared the second nest.

"Only a few more Limey machine gun nests, Schifler," Kiefel said, "Let's finish these fuckers!"

"I'll send you Limey bastards to Hell!" a German soldier shouted.

The Germans kept firing more rifle fire at British infantry and the machine gun nests, which gave time for me and Kiefel to blaze some shots at the other three nests. The returning enemy gunfire forced me and Kiefel back into cover behind our trees, with a few more friendlies getting gunned down. Kiefel fired a few more rounds with his MP 40 and then ran over to another tree to take cover, closer to the enemy nests than I was... And immediately, British riflemen from the nests were firing on Kiefel's position, which made me alerted... So I fired some intense Thompson fire at the enemy riflemen and I shot six more enemy riflemen while pinning several others down in vicious fighting. Several more friendlies were gunned down by enemy gunfire, and in return, German soldiers fired more intense rifle fire that gunned multiple other British down as the fierce battle raged on.

"Shit," a German shouted, "Kiefel... He's pinned!"

The enemy machine gun kept blazing rounds at Kiefel's position, and so I fired some more SMG fire and shot two more enemy soldiers while then firing some rounds at the enemy gunner threatening Kiefel... And with sharp aim, I finally nailed the gunner with a few precise rounds before I then shot down a few other enemy soldiers in the desert near the enemy nest... Only two more nests remained.

As I kept fighting, an enemy threw a grenade towards me, one of those British Mills bombs, but with sharp speed, I picked up the enemy grenade and threw it back at the British, with the blast taking a couple enemies, then I kept firing some intense Thompson fire that shot seven enemies down in a fierce skirmish.

While the two remaining nests kept up their defence, I rushed over to Kiefel's position, and after reloading, Kiefel and I fired more intense SMG fire and shot several more British soldiers in the desert. The other German soldiers kept fighting fiercely against British infantry in the vicious battle in the desert, firing hails of rifle fire that shot numerous enemies... And as this went on, Kiefel and I were mostly concentrating on the Bren gun nests and enemy soldiers near them.

"There's more fucking Limey riflemen in the nests!" I said as I aimed my Thompson, "I'll kill the fucking bastards!"

"Get behind the fucking trees for cover, Heinrich," Kiefel said, "Destroy the machine guns first!"

The remaining two Bren machine guns blazed some more hails of fire at German positions as I fired some more Thompson fire and shot two more enemies. As Kiefel gunned a couple more British down in return, I shot a few more British soldiers with Thompson fire and then I blazed some rounds at the machine gun nests. As the vicious fighting went on, the other German soldiers kept firing their rifles and hitting numerous British enemies down with intense gunfire in the fierce battle in the desert. I fired some more SMG gunfire and I shot two more British soldiers before I kept blazing suppressing rounds at the fourth nest, gunning down another rifleman next to the gunner. The Panzers were still fighting against opposing Crusader tanks, blasting a couple down to pieces, so it was mostly up to the infantry to take care of the nests.

Kiefel and I fired more intense SMG fire at the two nests, gunning down a few more enemy riflemen in a skirmish before Kiefel ran over to another palm tree, even closer to the nests while I gave some covering fire. Once behind the cover of the closer tree, Kiefel turned and shouted over to me "Heinrich... Hand me some grenades!", and with that, I then took two Stielhandgranates and tossed them over to Kiefel, who took out a grenade of his own and then tied them all together with a strip of cloth. After pulling the pin on the grenades, he tossed the explosive sticks over by the Bren gun nests... And the resulting explosion blew off parts of the nests and sent a good amount of sand splashing and soaring into the sky while disorienting the gunners. With this, Kiefel and I fired some SMG fire at the nests... And I aimed precisely at the fourth nest, gunning down a riflemen, and as Kiefel shot a couple others in the nest, I finished it off by taking a concentrated shot at the gunner.

"That's it, Heinrich," Kiefel said, aiming his MP 40, "Strike the fucking machine guns!"

The last Bren gunner was firing his machine gun frantically now, as he realized he was the last remaining machine gun nest. He blazed a great flurry of blinding fire to hold off the attack... But this would ultimately not help him, as I held my cover and then I fired some shots that gunned two more soldiers down and Kiefel took aim and shot down the gunner and another soldier near him... The enemy machine gun nests were eliminated.

"The nests are eliminated," Reinifer said as he fired an MG 42 from his Panzer tank, "Now destroy the remaining defences and seize that camp!"

The German soldiers gunned several more enemies down with rifle shots before some Germans charged and stabbed a few British with their bayonets. A couple Germans swung their rifles to swipe enemy rifles away and knock down a couple British soldiers, just before stabbing them with their bayonets. A German soldier tackled and pinned a British soldier right before viciously beating him, while another German knocked down an enemy with his rifle, then the German seized hold of the British soldier by his tunic as he kept continuously punching him over and over as well.

Kiefel and I fired some shots and gunned a few more enemies down as other Germans kept firing their rifles and hitting multiple British down in the vicious battle. I fired some Thompson rounds and shot two more enemies, then I charged at a British soldier and struck him down with a couple sharp swings with the stock of my gun... and then Kiefel and I ran rapidly across the desert alongside the rest of the German soldiers... And as we crossed over a dune we could see the enemy camp just before us... Along with two enemy defensive lines filled mostly with riflemen.

"Shit," a German soldier said, "More Limey defences!"

"They're mostly just riflemen," Kiefel said, "Move up and take them out!"

Kiefel and I moved up with the other Germans across the desert to engage the British trench line while the Panzers kept up their confrontation against the Crusaders. A nearby Crusader blew apart into pieces from a Panzer shell, and as we got closer to the enemy trench, the British line all blazed their rifles and cut down a few friendlies. However, amidst the blazing hot fire and the raging withering bullets, we pressed on, and once getting close enough, we took cover behind some trees and other barricades while some others crouched down into prone, and we all fired our guns from our new positions at the British line, raking them with intense gunfire.

Once behind my new position of two palm trees, I fired some Thompson fire and shot a couple enemies down as Kiefel ran over to me. A couple more friendlies were gunned down by enemy rifle fire, but once everyone got into their positions, the Germans kept firing their rifles at the British defensive line, and they gunned multiple soldiers down. Once we were at the same position, Kiefel and I fired some SMG fire that gunned a few enemies down in vicious fighting, and while a couple more friendlies were cut down by enemy bullets, the German soldiers fired some intense gunfire back and shot several British down in return. I fired a few more Thompson rounds and gunned two more British down... And soon, after some fierce fighting, German rifle fire cut down most of the British infantry in the first trench line, forcing them into retreat.

"Move up," Kiefel ordered, "Take that trench line!"

Immediately, Kiefel, the German soldiers and myself entered into the former British trench, facing a second British defensive line filled with riflemen and even two machine guns before us from our captured trench. As the German soldiers formed a line of infantry in the trench to face the British opponents, Kiefel and I fired some intense SMG fire at the British line from the trench, striking multiple enemies down. In the vicious battle, the line of German soldiers were all firing their rifles at the British defensive line, firing hails of immense rifle fire at British infantry from their trench line and gunning numerous British soldiers down in vicious fighting. I fired some Thompson fire and shot six British soldiers in a fierce skirmish while Kiefel gunned down a few more. Lines of German soldiers and British infantry were firing hails of gunfire at each other from their trenches in the fierce battle, with the Germans firing immense gunfire and shooting numerous British in the vicious fighting. While several friendlies were gunned down, Kiefel fired some rounds and struck down a couple more British, as I shot two more enemy soldiers with Thompson fire. Still, the German soldiers kept firing immense rifle fire at the British infantry in vicious fighting, gunning multiple more enemies down in a hail of gunfire.

I gunned two more enemies down with some SMG fire as the German soldiers all kept fighting fiercely and firing their rifles. In the vicious fighting, Kiefel fired some shots and gunned a couple enemies down as the line of German soldiers kept firing intense hails of gunfire and cutting numerous British down. Still, the enemy soldiers kept blazing some rounds in return, and a midst the intense British gunfire, few more Germans were shot, but I kept fighting, firing more intense Thompson fire that shot five more British soldiers. Intense German rifle fire shot numerous enemies while Kiefel and I fired some covering shots. As the fierce fighting went on, I fired some Thompson shots and gunned two more enemies down while Kiefel struck a few other soldiers with MP 40 fire. In the vicious battle, the line of German soldiers kept firing immense rifle fire and cutting multiple British enemies down in fierce fighting as I shot two more down as well from our trench line in the skirmish.

The incredibly fierce battle kept raging as I fired some intense Thompson fire and shot five more enemies down. The German infantry kept firing more hails of immense rifle fire and gunning numerous enemies down in vicious fighting and, eventually, after a hard fighting skirmish, the enemy defenses diminished and started retreating... Eventually, the vicious fighting in the desert and trenches had paid off... Now nothing stood in our way to the camp.

"Move into the camp, Heinrich!" Kiefel said.

Immediately, I followed with the German soldiers as we charged in towards the camp, running over the trench lines as we charged forwards. A couple Germans stabbed a few British with bayonets as we took cover behind different buildings, tents and caches at the start of the camp... And suddenly, a British machine gun position opened up and blazed some rounds while we took cover. However, as I fired some covering shots at the enemy gunner, a German with a Flammenwerfer 41 moved up quickly, yet cautiously to the position... And once he was in range, the German aimed his flamethrower stick and blazed a menacing spray of fire into the enemy position, clearing it out as well as incinerating the few British soldiers in the position as well, setting them ablaze.

As the Flammenwerfer operator moved on to incinerate other entrenched enemies with blazing fire, most that remained was just infantry and a few vehicles. I shot a couple others as Kiefel charged and knocked a British soldier down with his MP 40, before we then went further into the camp. As the Germans, Kiefel and I held our positions by some of the tents and caches in the camp, some more British soldiers came out of other tents before us and disembarked from a couple of trucks.

"Shit, more Limeys!" a German shouted, "In the trucks and tents!"

"Let's kill the bastards!" another German said.

From our positions behind tents and caches in the camp, the German soldiers were firing their rifles at British soldiers in a fierce skirmish in the camp, gunning several enemies down. I fired some shots and gunned a few enemies down as well in the tents and in the open. Kiefel also blazed some rounds and gunned a couple British down as well while the other Germans kept firing more intense rifle fire that cut multiple British soldiers down. As the fierce battle in the camp raged, I fired some more Thompson fire and shot several more enemies down as the other German soldiers held their cover behind tenets and caches and kept fighting, firing more hails of gunfire at British positions in the camp. A few friendlies were gunned down, but the Germans kept fighting, firing more immense rifle shots at British infantry in the tents and the outside desert.

I kept fighting enemies in the camp, clearing them from the tents with Thompson fire as Kiefel gunned a few others down with his MP 40. The German soldiers kept firing rifle fire that shot multiple more British, though a couple other friendlies were cut down as well by enemy gunfire. As I shot a few more down, after much more vicious fighting, the Germans had diminished the enemy presence, gunning down most remaining soldiers in the tents and supply buildings... The battle had been won.

After the Germans shot down several more British soldiers, an enemy Crusader tank appeared over a nearby dune, aiming towards the camp... But from behind, Reinifer's Panzer rolled in and blazed a shell that took out the enemy tank. Afterwards, any remaining enemy presence gave up, with the several British soldiers still alive lowering their guns and raising their hands up while German soldiers aimed at them to keep them in order.

While German soldiers rounded up prisoners to take back to camp and other friendlies started moving supplies around from the camp, Reinifer exited his Panzer and walked over to us, "Well done, men," Reinifer said proudly, "The camp is ours... Schifler, Kiefel, good work."

Reinifer walked off smiling with pride as other Germans kept securing supplies and escorting the prisoners. I went to the edge of the camp and l stood on a dune as I looked across the sea of sand to find myself staring right at the town of Khirsijine in the distance... Our next mission.

Kiefel walked up next to me and spoke, "Looks like the last of the Tommies here, Heinrich," Kiefel said, "...Hmph... Maybe after this, we could go home."

"...Not likely, Hans." I replied, as I looked at the village of Khirsijine across the sand and under the blazing hot sun... After the British win at El Alamein, I felt that victory could not be achieved here anymore, even if we win in some places in the desert... Still this wouldn't stop us from fighting... And driving to Khirsijine.


	4. M-1: Line in the Sand - Pt 2

_Sometimes, I wonder about by fate... It is quite complicated... On one hand, I wish to get back to Europe, rescue Jews from the ghettos and get them away from Hitler... But on the other hand, I still have loyalty to my men, and my regiment is committed to fighting to the death, and I wish to honor that as well... I will will not walk out on these men... Maybe we could get called back to Europe, where I could enact my plans... But until then, I will remain here, and fight to the death... If that is what they wish...  
_

Being immersed in the scorching heat and surrounded by endless sand does get to be a bit tiring, especially when one is wearing wool clothing... But with a full amount of supplies from taking that camp and a fresh supply of water, that didn't stop us from driving forth towards Khirsijine, which was just a short distance away now... And we even had a bit of enthusiasm to take the town... It was rather odd to have this excitement. We had been very hardened by war, and after some time, we started to feel that the campaign in Africa wasn't winnable... Still, we just seemed to be eager to scrape at least one more victory for the division here before our operations ended... Yes, it was nice to have one last morale boost.

As I climbed aboard Reinifer's Panzer, the Captain himself stood out from the hatch of the tank and turned to me, "Schifler, British presence in the town is heavy. We need to clear away the perimeter defenses and eliminate resistance in the buildings, as well as in the streets and bazaars. Destroy any machine gun positions and secure supply caches as we make our way to the town center and hold it from any counterattacks... And be careful, Heinrich."

"I will, Captain," I replied, "Is that all?"

"Well... Not yet," Reinifer said, a bit wary now, which made me uncomfortable, "I received a message that I'll be meeting a contact there... Says there's something important there for him to get."

"...What contact?" a nearby Kiefel said with suspicion, "What do they want?"

"They didn't say," Reinifer replied, and that made me even more suspicious, "Just focus on your primary objectives... I'll handle that."

"Sure, Captain." Kiefel said, a bit annoyed by his own concern and suspicion of this contact.

"Everyone, move out," Reinifer ordered, and his Panzer started rolling forwards with me on board, and with Kiefel, two other Panzers and numerous German infantry, we ventured across the desert in the rather short distance to Khirsijine.

I rode on the tank as Kiefel and numerous other German soldiers moved on foot across the desert. There were only a few Panzers left since the fighting from the desert defensive lines, so we had to be more careful here. Once we neared the outskirts of Khirsijine, enemy machine gun fire started to rain down onto our movement, and Reinifer, who stood on the lead Panzer, shouted an order, "Get behind the tanks, use them for cover!"

Immediately, those on the ground followed his order following behind the tanks while Reinifer manned the Panzer's MG 42 and blazed some rounds at the enemy machine guns, ripping at them like a roaring buzz saw. Being on the back of the tank, I fired some Gewehr 43 rounds at the enemy machine guns while using the tank's turret as cover. Other MG 42s razed some covering fire from the Panzers as well as the infantry and myself moved even closer towards the edge of the town. The Panzers took out a couple of the machine guns in the buildings with shells, and once we got close enough, the tanks stopped, and after I jumped down from the tank and brandished my Thompson gun, we infantry men started to assault the town ourselves with the Panzers in support.

Once emerging from our cover of the tanks, one of the Panzers was hit and set ablaze by a rocket shell, forcing the remaining armor to stay put... And immediately, great amounts of British infantry emerged from the buildings and in the streets at the edge of the town, blazing hails of gunfire that gunned several Germans down.

"Shit," a German soldier said, "Limey infantry! Kill the bastards!"

Immediately, a vicious battle ensued, as after taking positions at the edge of town, the German soldiers were firing their rifles at British infantry in the streets and buildings, firing immense hails of rifle fire that shot numerous enemies in fierce fighting. I fired some intense Thompson fire and shot five British soldiers in the fierce skirmish as Kiefel gunned down a few others as well with MP 40 rounds. Gunfire raged all over the place and I felt the scorching heat from both the desert sun and the hot bullet rounds that pierced the different buildings and sand, ripping at flesh and spilling more blood to paint the sand... But I kept persisting, firing some SMG fire that shot a few more British down before aiming and blazing some rounds that shredded apart a machine gun nest in one of the buildings while Kiefel blazed some covering rounds in support. The Panzers blazed a few shells and some machine gun fire at the enemy nests in the buildings, and that helped as the rest of us battled the enemy infantry.

In the vicious fighting, the German soldiers fired more intense rifle fire and shot multiple British soldiers down in the streets and buildings. A few friendlies were gunned down by enemy bullets, but the Germans fired some shots back and struck several British soldiers down in return. While the Germans and British kept firing hails of gunfire at each other in the fierce skirmish from their positions in the desert town, Kiefel blazed some MP 40 shots that gunned a couple other enemies down, and as I struck two other soldiers with SMG rounds, I fired some more Thompson fire and shot six more British as well. The vicious battle kept on as the Germans kept firing their rifles and cutting numerous British soldiers down with intense rifle fire, though several more friendlies were gunned down in return, with a couple having their limbs torn off it a spray of blood by machine gun fire. Still, I shot several more enemies with immense SMG fire as Kiefel gunned a couple more down with his MP 40. The other Germans kept firing rifle fire that shot several enemies down in the intense skirmish, while still blazing gunfire that pinned enemies at their positions as well as I gunned two more down in the fierce fighting.

As the German soldiers kept firing their rifles and cutting British infantry down with immense rifle fire in vicious fighting, I fired some Thompson fire and shot five British soldiers down as Kiefel gunned a a few others down with MP 40 shots, then I aimed and raked two others with SMG rounds. The fierce battle continued on as we kept firing more gunfire at the enemy soldiers and positions and pinning them down. I shot two more enemy soldiers as Kiefel gunned a couple others down with covering fire, then I aimed and struck down another two enemies with SMG fire. As a few other friendlies were gunned down, the other Germans fired some immense rifle fire and shot multiple British soldiers down in return a midst the vicious fighting, and I fired some Thompson fire and shot a few more enemies down as well. The German soldiers kept fighting and firing hails of intense rifle fire at British infantry while Kiefel blazed some covering shots and I kept firing riled Thompson fire, raking British positions and soldiers.

From their positions in the town perimeter, the German soldiers kept firing rifle fire at British defenses in a fierce battle as Kiefel and I blazed some covering shots... And soon, after vicious fighting, the enemy defensive line at the perimeter had been broken... Allowing us to move further into the town.

"Drive into the town, men," Reinifer ordered, a little enthusiastically, "Schifler, lead them on! The Panzers will give support."

"Yes," Kiefel said with even greater enthusiasm, "Come on, you fucking Limey bastards!"

We all started moving forth down the main street into the village, escorting the two remaining Panzers. Still, as we entered we encountered more British infantry in the streets and buildings, blazing hails of gunfire and gunned a couple friendlies down. In response, the Germans fired some shots back and struck several British down, and as soon as the Germans took positions by buildings and objects in the street, the vicious battle continued, as German soldiers kept firing more intense rifle fire from their positions in the street and cutting down multiple British infantry. While the Germans kept firing hails of gunfire at British soldiers in the streets, buildings and marketplaces in vicious fighting, Kiefel blazed some cover rounds as I fired some Thompson shots and gunned several enemies down.

German and British soldiers kept firing intense gunfire at each other in the streets, with fiery bullets ripping apart the battlefield. As several more Germans were gunned down by enemy bullets, the Germans fired more intense gunfire back and shot numerous British soldiers down in the fierce skirmish. Kiefel gunned a few others down as well, and as German soldiers kept firing hails of fire at British position in the streets and buildings, I fired some more Thompson fire and shot several more enemies. The Germans kept fighting British infantry in the streets, gunning more soldiers down in the streets as British fire emitted from the buildings.

"Shit," a German said, "Limeys in the buildings! Let's get the bastards!"

"Schifler," Reinifer called out to me from his tank, "Scout report says the British are holed up in six different buildings! I need you to clear them out!"

"I'll send these Limey bastards to Hell!" Kiefel shouted as he fired more MP 40 rounds.

The Germans kept firing their rifles at British infantry in the streets, cutting numerous enemies down as I fired some some intense Thompson fire and shot six British soldiers in the streets as well a midst the fierce battle while Kiefel blazed some covering fire. As the Panzers destroyed a couple enemy positions in the buildings, the German infantry kept firing more gunfire at British soldiers. A few more friendlies were struck down by enemy return fire, but the Germans kept fighting and gunning down multiple British soldiers in response while I shot two other enemies as well. Several other British soldiers were gunned down by German rifle fire as the vicious fighting continued in the streets, and as Kiefel struck down another couple enemies with MP 40 rounds, I shot a few others with Thompson fire.

We kept struggling up the streets, firing immense gunfire at enemy soldiers in the street and building windows. Several other Germans were gunned down, just as Kiefel and I kept blazing rounds at enemy positions, pinning them down as German gunfire blazed back and struck some enemies in return, while raking the different buildings with bullets. Kiefel raked a few others with riddling bullet fire while I gunned two others down, just as a few other Germans were shot by enemy fire. However, amidst the fierce battle in the streets, the Germans kept firing their rifles and shot numerous more British soldiers down while I fired some Thompson fire and gunned five others as well.

After the intense skirmish in the streets, the British infantry defenses had been broken. I gunned two more enemies down as German rifle fire struck several others as well and then I moved along with Kiefel and the other Germans as we made our way down the street, eventually coming to the first target building.

"First building, Heinrich," Kiefel stated, "Clear it out!"

Several British soldiers appeared in the windows of the building, with a few others appearing one the street just outside the building, and they all blazed some gunfire that struck a couple Germans down. Kiefel blazed some rounds that suppressed some enemies in the top windows as I fired some Thompson fire from the street and shot a few enemies in the street down, then I aimed at the windows and shot a couple others down with gunfire. As I kept raking the enemy position with intense Thompson fire, the other Germans fired some shots that gunned a few more British down, mostly in the building.

Kiefel took aim and blazed a round that raked down two British soldiers, before he then primed a grenade and threw it at a British position, blasting them out... And tearing off the limbs of the two victims in a display of blood, leaving one missing both his legs and an arm while the other had one leg and half of his right arm torn off as well, with only bloody flesh and bone replacing what was there before as they screamed in pain, crawling away as blood seeped from their shredded limbs. Yes, it was rather disgusting... But I was a soldier, a battle hardened one who's had his fair share of combat... Such things didn't bother me, at least, not anymore.

Yes I was quite hardened by hard conflict already, so the this mutilation didn't stop me, as I kept firing more shots at British positions, and as I aimed, I fired some Thompson fire and gunned down a few more enemies in the windows. After some more fierce fighting, I went up to the house with Kiefel and, together, we blazed some rounds into the building, clearing away the remaining couple inside... The resistance in the building was finally cleared out and the building itself, taken.

"This one's clear," Kiefel said, "Move up to the next!"

"Move carefully," a German said, "They could have something else in the next one."

We moved further down the street towards our next target building, engaging some more British along the way. In a skirmish, Kiefel gunned down a couple enemies with MP 40 rounds as I shot a few other British with Thompson fire, and as other Germans cleared away other resistance in the streets, we came to the second building... Which was indeed answering truthfully to that German soldier's prediction, as a Bren machine gun opened up in one of the top windows, with several riflemen from other windows in support.

A few Germans were cut down by the Bren machine gun fire, with one getting his left arm torn off by the enemy bullets... But the rest of us took cover by positions in the street and fired some rounds back. I fired some Thompson shots and gunned a couple enemies down in the building as several other enemy soldiers rushed out, and we engaged them as well, with me firing more gunfire that shot a few down. Kiefel and I kept firing more SMG fire, riddling enemy positions in the building as a few more enemy soldiers appeared on the building roof. As the Germans fired some shots that gunned down a few enemies in the streets just outside the building, then they gunned down a couple more in the building windows, I fired some rounds that struck down two British on the roof as Kiefel gunned down a few more, then I aimed and shot a couple others on the right side of the roof.

The Bren gun cut down two more friendlies, bullets tearing off the head of one as blood spurted out like a fountain from the severed neck, I blazed some rounds at the gunner's position, pinning him down, and allowing Kiefel to move up, and get himself right next to the building's wall, under the gunner. As I shot down two more soldiers in the windows and kept firing on the machine gun, Kiefel primed a Stielhandgranate and threw it into the gunner's window, blasting the British soldier out as he flew out the window to the ground. A couple of Germans then went up to the building entrance and fired their guns into it, clearing remaining soldiers away.

"Second building's taken," Kiefel said, "Let's get the next one!"

We moved further up the street, engaging several more British soldiers. However, some fighting cleared them away as we then made our way into a local Bazaar, filled with stands presenting food, trivial supplies, other goods... And the marketplace was filled with British soldiers.

"There's Limey bastards in the Bazaar," a German soldier said, "Capture it!"

"Clear it all out, Heinrich!" Kiefel shouted.

Moving into the marketplace meant we had to continue on without Reinifer's two Panzers, which continued down the road... But still, the Germans kept fighting in the fierce battle in the market place, firing immense rifle fire at British positions as Kiefel and I were fighting with them... We kept our hopes up for victory... And hopefully, we'd reunited with Reinifer.

As the British soldiers in the marketplace blazed some gunfire, Kiefel, myself and the other Germans took positions by the different vending stands in the marketplace... Then the Germans were firing their rifles at British infantry in the marketplace, causing a vicious battle. As a few friendlies were struck down by enemy rounds, the Germans fired some shots and gunned down several enemies in the marketplace as Kiefel blazed some MP 40 rounds and struck a couple others down as well. I fired some Thompson fire and shot five enemies in vicious fighting as the German soldiers kept firing immense hails of rifle fire that cut multiple British soldiers down in the fierce skirmish. As Kiefel blazed some covering fire, a couple more Germans were gunned down, but we kept fighting, and I kept firing Thompson fire which raked the different vending stands and enemy positions with bullets.

The vicious skirmish continued in the marketplace as Kiefel gunned down a few more enemy soldiers, while Germans kept firing more rounds into the vending stands, riddling them with bullets into splintering wood. As I fired more intense Thompson fire and shot six more enemies in fierce fighting, the other Germans fired their rifles and shot numerous more enemies with immense rifle fire. A couple other Germans were gunned down, but Kiefel and I fired some more shots at the different stands and pinned enemy soldiers down... And eventually, after much vicious fighting, the Germans fired some gunfire that cut several more enemies down, forcing the diminishing enemy defenses collapse, and the fierce skirmish ended in a victory for us... The marketplace was ours, and we could now move on.

"Get to the third building, Heinrich!" Kiefel ordered.

Exiting the bazaar, Kiefel and I moved down the street with some German soldiers, coming up onto a street where we engaged some more British. A couple friendlies were gunned down by enemy fire during the engagement, but as several other Germans blazed some covering fire, Kiefel and I fired intense SMG fire that shot nine British down, decimating the whole squad. Some more British soldiers came out to challenge our advance, and we kept fighting. A midst the hail of gunfire, a few more Germans were gunned down, but Kiefel and I kept firing immense covering shots at enemy soldiers as other Germans fired some shots that gunned down several more enemies.

After some fierce fighting, I shot a few others down with Thompson shots as the other Germans blazed some gunfire that struck several more down, clearing away enemy soldiers on the street and allowing us to move forwards to the third target. Moving on down, we shot several more enemy soldiers down on a different street and corners, just before we got the third building in our view.

"There it is!" I said as I saw the third building, "Capture it!"

We rushed down the street, taking cover behind a couple buildings as several enemy soldiers appeared and we engaged them. Two Germans were struck down by bullets, but I shot down a few enemies as other Germans gunned down several other on the different street, allowing us to confront the third building. Some enemies appeared in the windows and on the roof, blazing hails of shots down on our positions, but we took cover behind some nearby buildings.

Dodging some bullets and taking aim, I fired some shots and gunned a couple enemies in the building windows down. A few other Germans were razed by gunfire, but other friendlies held their cover behind other buildings and blazed some covering shots, suppressing some of the enemy soldiers. I fired some more Thompson fire and shot a few others down in the windows and the roof, then Kiefel struck down another British soldier with MP 40 rounds... But some return fire forced him back into position, bullets striking the wall near him, and this got a furious reaction from him as well.

"Shit... Rrrraaghh, you fucking dirty British pigs," Kiefel shouted in reaction, firing his gun back, "Die already!"

Kiefel fired his MP 40 rather wildly at the enemies in the windows until his magazine ran empty... And as he was changing it out, a grenade landed near him... I saw it, but I don't think he did, so I grabbed him by his arms and pulled him away as we ran over behind a wall, taking cover as the grenade went off. After this ordeal, we both rushed back to our original positions, firing some more SMG fire that pinned several remaining enemies in the building. After some more fighting, Kiefel gunned down another soldier on a balcony, causing him to fall over towards the ground as other Germans fired some gunfire that stuck a few other British down... Soon I shot a couple more down before a few other Germans rushed over to the building and threw a couple grenades inside... And after the blast went off, they fired their guns into the building, finally clearing it out.

"Third building's taken," Kiefel said, "Move on to the next!"

"Clear any Limey resistance away," a German soldier said, "Get moving down the streets!"

Moving past the building, we came to a street that looked rather torn, littered with different crates and barrels with buildings lining each side... And there was numerous British infantry on the other side for us to confront. Most of us took cover behind the buildings and street objects while others stood and fought out in the open.

Engaging in a vicious battle, the German soldiers were firing immense rifle fire at British infantry on the street, gunning numerous British down in fierce fighting. Kiefel blazed some rounds and pinned some enemies down as a few Germans were struck by bullets. However, as the fierce skirmish kept up, I fired some intense Thompson fire and shot five enemies as the Germans kept firing their rifles from their positions in the streets in the fierce battle, gunning multiple more British down with immense rifle fire. As Kiefel gunned a few more others down, the other Germans raked British positions with gunfire. However, some return enemy rounds struck several friendlies down in return... But even so, the Germans kept fighting on ever intensely, still firing more gunfire from their positions of cover that gunned more British down and pinned others behind their cover, raking the different crates with hails of bullets, while I kept firing more intense Thompson fire that shot six British.

The vicious skirmish in the streets kept up as Kiefel and I fired some more shots at British positions, raking them with gunfire. As I blazed some covering rounds, Kiefel struck down a couple others with MP 40 rounds. The other Germans fired some shots that struck several enemy soldiers down as Kiefel razed some gunfire at two large crates serving as enemy cover, splintering them apart with bullets. While Kiefel and I shot a couple other enemies down, British fire struck a few other friendlies, but we kept firing more covering shots, and the other Germans fired some gunfire that struck a few enemies down. As I fired some Thompson shots that gunned five more British soldiers down in the skirmish, Kiefel gunned another couple down and pinned a few others as the other Germans shot down several more British in the street, raking the different crates with intense gunfire.

Soon, after a fierce firefight in the crate littered street, the Germans kept fighting and gunned down any remaining British resistance, and we moved up the street to head towards the fourth building. We came onto another street that had several enemies on the ground, with a few more in the buildings lining the sides.

"Eliminate any resistance, Heinrich!" Kiefel shouted.

Taking cover behind different positions in the street, I fired my Thompson and gunned two enemies down in the buildings as Kiefel struck a couple others down with MP 40 rounds. German soldiers fired some rifle fire and gunned several enemies down in the street while also blazing some shots that struck a few others in the buildings lining the streets. As the fierce skirmish in the streets went on, a few friendlies were gunned down while I fired some Thompson fire and shot five enemies in the street and Kiefel blazed some covering rounds. As the Germans gunned down several more enemies, I shot two more in the buildings and we pressed on down the street.

We then turn right around the corner to come down on another street, where we faced more British soldiers. A skirmish ensued as I fired some Thompson shots and gunned a couple enemies down. As Kiefel and a few other Germans emitted covering shots that raked British positions, other German soldiers gunned down several other enemies with gunfire that tore apart weak building walls. I shot a few more with Thompson fire and then we continued on our way, right to the fourth target building.

"There's the next building," Kiefel said, "Get to it and clear those bastards out!"

Moving down the street to the next building, suddenly, a British machine gun opened up on the building roof, forcing us into cover as several enemy soldiers appeared in the windows, blazing fire down on our positions.

"Shit," a German soldier shouted, "Limey machine gun in the building!"

"Fucking damn it, Reinifer, where are you?!" Kiefel said, frustrated at the lack of the tanks' presence since we diverted into the marketplace.

A couple Germans were struck down by enemy machine gun fire, as I fired some shots at enemies in the building, gunning two soldiers. Kiefel shot a couple others as the German soldiers kept firing gunfire at British positions in the building. A few other Germans were raked by British bullets, but after a tense firefight, the Germans fired some shots that gunned several enemies in the building windows in return. I fired some Thompson fire that gunned a few other enemies down in the windows and the roof, as Kiefel blazed some rounds that pinned a couple others down. Soon, I shot a couple others in the windows and then blazed some covering fire at the Bren gun, which still kept up its defense.

Kiefel and I kept firing covering shots as German soldiers fired some gunfire at British positions in the building in the firefight... That's when I started hearing a sound behind me, a deep rolling sound that was crushing the ground as it moved. It sounded like it would be terrifying, but as I saw the source of it behind me, I only felt relief... It was Reinifer's two Panzers, coming down the street towards the fourth building to help us. Once it came in range, the lead Panzer aimed right at the Bren gun position and fired a shell, blasting it to pieces, then it reloaded and fired again, destroying some British positions in the windows. As several other Germans gunned down a few other British soldiers, Kiefel and I went up to the building and each threw a Stielhandgranate into it, and after the blast resounded, we both fired our guns into the building and cleared the couple remaining enemies out.

With the fourth building taken, other Germans started moving up and securing positions on the streets, and as the lead Panzer kept mopping up any resistance, Kiefel and I went over towards the other Panzer that had Reinifer.

"Schifler, Kiefel," Reinifer said, popping his head out from the hatch to greet us, "How have you been doing here, run into much trouble?"

"No, but the Tommies sure did," Kiefel responded rather mischievously, "Where have you been, Captain?"

"We got caught up by some defensive positions in the towers to the North side of this town," Reinifer replied with, "As well as some Crusader tanks."

"They have tanks here in the city?" I asked.

"Yes, but we should have cleared them out already," Reinifer said, "...Should just be infantry and positions in the buildings from now on."

"Anything important from these buildings, sir?"

"Just two more buildings left, eh. The next one is... Well, where we'll meet our contact... He'll help us take the sixth building, the largest and toughest one situated on the edge of the city... There's something important there for him... So important that there may be commandos of the S.A.S. guarding it."

"...Shit," Kiefel exclaimed, "...Well, no reason to keep him or them waiting. Let's move it."

Immediately, we moved on down the street alongside the other German infantry, with the two Panzers rolling on from behind. We entered onto a long street, where numerous British soldiers appeared for us to confront... And indeed, a tense engagement would follow.

Taking positions in the streets, German soldiers fired their rifles at British positions gunning multiple enemies down as I shot two others with my SMG. An enemy machine gun position opened up and fired on several positions, but this was quickly silence when the lead tank aimed its barrel and destroyed that position with a shell. Kiefel gunned down another couple soldiers while I fired some Thompson fire and shot five British as well as Reinifer raked enemy positions with his MG 42 from the tank. The Germans gunned several more British down with intense gunfire as the lead Panzer destroyed another Bren gun emplacement with a shell... However, as the lead Panzer moved forward down the street, suddenly, two British soldiers armed with a bazooka aimed right at the lead Panzer... Just before firing a rocket that hit the Panzer in the back and bursting it into flames. The Panzer just lay there, motionless on the street as fire roared from its back.

"Shit," a German said, "The bastards destroyed our tank!"

"Where in the fuck?!" Kiefel said, a bit angry, "Heinrich, burn those fuckers!"

I gunned down two more enemies as Kiefel shot a few in in his fury, and as other Germans shot several more British down, we kept moving up the street to move towards the building. I also saw the British soldier with the bazooka and I aimed at him, striking him down with a precise shot.

We took another turn around a corner to enter onto another street, with Reinifer and his Panzer following after us with infantry moving alongside him. That Panzer was our only support, and our primary field commander, so we had to be extra careful now.

"Captain, be careful now," Kiefel said, "I suggest supporting us from the side, so we don't lose our last armor."

"I'll consider it, Kiefel." Reinifer replied.

We kept fighting in fierce skirmishes down the different streets, gunning more enemies down as several friendlies were struck by bullets in return. As the Germans shot more British in the streets and buildings with intense gunfire as we moved down through the city, we finally came onto a street heading right for the fifth target building.

"Shit, there it is," I said as I readied my Thompson, "The fifth Limey held building!"

Taking cover behind a building wall, I reloaded my gun as I saw some British infantry approaching. In response, aiming my gun, I fired some intense Thompson fire and shot seven enemies down in a fierce skirmish. One of the enemy soldiers threw a grenade, but with sharp speed, I grabbed it and threw it back, taking out a couple in a blast. Kiefel and I kept firing more SMG fire at British soldiers, clearing away the several remaining enemies before we then pressed forward.

A few other friendlies were struck by bullets, but the Germans kept fighting and gunning several more enemies down with rifle shots as we approached the fifth building, but as Kiefel and I shot a few others down and fired some covering shots at enemy positions to cover the German advance, Bren machine guns opened up and fired, one mounted on sandbags at the building's door while the other was placed in one of the windows... And they were both blazing tense rounds as several other British soldiers appeared in the windows to give supporting fire with small arms. Several Germans were struck down by bullets, mostly by Bren machine gun fire, which tore off the limbs of a couple of them in a bloody mess. In response, Kiefel and I blazed some suppressing rounds at the machine guns, pinning them down as we took cover behind a building wall. Reinifer was still maneuvering his Panzer around the wreckage of the other destroyed tank that was blazing in the street... We had some time until he could get here.

The Germans fired some intense gunfire and shot a few British down in the building, while Kiefel gunned down a couple others. I shot a few more with Thompson fire, and as Kiefel and I emitted more SMG fire at the machine gun positions, Reinifer made his way around the wreckage and started rolling forward. As German gunfire tore several more enemies down in the windows, Kiefel blazed some suppressing fire at the lower SMG as I shot two more with my Thompson. I then took cover behind the wall to take out my scoped Gewehr 43 and then aimed it around the corner at the lower machine gunner. With concentration and precise aim, I fired a round that penetrated the gunner right through his skull. I then fired some other rounds at the couple others in the nest as Kiefel threw a grenade at it as well, taking out the position in a fierce blast, that also bloodily ripped the legs off of the two British soldiers in a gory display.

The last machine gun in the windows still kept up the defense, but as I shot a couple more enemies with Thompson fire, Reinifer's tank came in, aimed its barrel and blazed a shell that destroyed the remaining machine gun nest. After a few more friendlies were struck down by bullets, Kiefel and I gunned a couple enemies in return as other Germans shot several remaining British as well. Going up to the building, Kiefel and I fired some shots that raked the couple remaining enemies inside with SMG fire, then we proceeded to enter.

Entering inside the structure, we took position at at the backside of the fifth building, with some other Germans and myself aiming our guns out the back windows while Kiefel manned a Bren gun at one of the windows, ready to take any counter attacks.

"Limey infantry and supporting tanks," a German soldier said, "Closing on our positions!"

"Hold them off," another German said, "There shouldn't be much opposition here!"

Very soon after, we found British infantry appearing out the windows, coming towards us. It was a rather weak attack, but an attack nonetheless, so we opened fire on the attackers. The Germans fired their rifles and gunned multiple soldiers down in the vicious skirmish as I fired my Thompson and shot five others. In support, Kiefel blazed a hail of machine rounds with his Bren gun, tearing several British soldiers to bloody, gory pieces, ripping off limbs with powerful rounds the Germans kept firing immense rifle fire that shot numerous other British as well. As the fierce fighting kept up, I fired some intense Thompson fire that shot six British down while the Germans kept firing hails of gunfire. Kiefel gunned a few others down in support with his Bren gun... But as we were mowing down the infantry, suddenly, a Crusader tank appeared, coming towards us.

The tank came in and fired a shell, taking out a portion off the top of the building. "Fuck!" Kiefel shouted in alarm, "That tank gets closer, we're done for!" But, just as soon as he said it, we saw Reinifer's Panzer come in off the side of our building and fire a shell that destroyed the enemy tank, reducing it to a smouldering ruin. Kiefel and I shot down the several remaining infantry, which implied that we had fended off the assault.

"That should be it," Reinifer said as he climbed out of his tank, "We need to get moving."

"Hey, weren't we supposed to meet that contact here?" Kiefel asked.

But right when he said that, suddenly, an enemy shell struck the side of the building, and the perpetrators rolled into view, revealing themselves to be two more Crusader tanks, supported by several British soldiers.

"Shit!" I shouted, "There's more Limey bastards coming here! Kill them!"

As the firefight continued with other Germans blazing covering shots, I fired some Thompson fire and shot a few enemies as Kiefel blazed some suppressing Bren rounds and struck a couple others down. As he took cover behind the tank, Reinifer aimed and gunned down a couple other enemies with his MP 40, but the Crusader tanks still came closer, firing a couple more shells at friendly positions. Luckily, our Panzer was speedy enough to aim and fire a shell that destroyed one of the Crusaders, decimating its steel into flames.

But the other Crusader still lingered, and it blazed another shell at our building before starting to aim its barrel at Reinifer's Panzer. I was very worried now, as it came very close to destroying our last armor, and if that happened, we would be done for as well... But that's right when our luck showed up in the form of a mysterious ally. Two German soldiers came out from a distant alleyway in the distance, aimed a Panzerschreck at the Crusader's back and fired a rocket, striking the Crusader hard and eliminating it from the battlefield, sparing us and our remaining Panzer.

Once the fighting was over, as the Panzer moved its barrel to inspect the area, Kiefel, myself and the other Germans went outside with Reinifer, where more of those Germans from that alleyway started coming over towards us... But as they got closer and I got a better view of them, my relief changed to despair... Like us, they wore tan uniforms and Stahlhelm helmets, with a few wearing soft tropical caps, but these men were very different, their helmets were black, while our helmets were mostly tan. They also wore tan button up smocks with the sleeves rolled up and the top few buttons undone as well as balaclavas covering their faces, save for the eyes. They also mostly wielded FG 42 battle rifles... But there were more significant differences about them... Instead of MP 40s, they carried MP 35 Bergmann sub machine guns, and what really caught my attention, was that their tan uniforms consisted of black collars with two white runes, and those few wearing soft caps had death heads imprinted on the front while those with helmets had runes painted on the sides... These men weren't Afrika Korps at all, they were _Schutzstaffel._

"Oh shit, Heinrich." Kiefel said as he also noticed the affiliation of the men.

"What's the SS doing here?!" I said to him in aggravated curiosity.

Kiefel and I kept our short but firm distance away from the SS soldiers. Despite us all being Germans, my fellow Afrika Korps Germans and the SS soldiers kept a distance from each other, looking very stern and suspicious of the other... My regiment seemed to share my exact feelings. I saw the SS officer, a Colonel, step out and walk over, looking very stoic and tense at everything. I saw Reinifer begin to walk up to the officer, and he too, looked very wary about their presence here.

"Herr Standartenfuhrer," Reinifer greeted halfheartedly, "...You have any trouble getting here?" The SS officer didn't answer, and instead, he just brushed past him and looked over to inspect our remaining Panzer, and that's when I took the time to walk up to Reinifer and place my firm hand on his shoulder.

"You knew about this?" I said with obvious frustration, "What the Hell is the SS doing here, Reinifer... They're not supposed to be in Africa. _They're_ your contact?"

"...They're here for something in that last building," Reinifer replied, "...They're a specialist division."

"I'm sure they'd like to leave a name for themselves," I said stubbornly with tense wariness, "They'll be cruel here, just like anywhere else."

"I'll keep them under control, Heinrich, but these men are tough and the British guarding that last building have a hard defense... You'll be glad these guys are here right now." Reinifer responded to calm me with reassurance, "They're only here for that building, then they'll be on their way out of Africa."

Just then, the SS officer walked over towards the two of us, and Reinifer spoke, "Sir, I'm Captain Reinifer, 21st Panzer Division... I'm in command here."

"Well, now I am," the SS officer spoke, almost interrupting Reinifer, "Captain, this Panzer had better be suited to take that next building... I want to get that objective now, so I can get out of this heat."

"...Schifler," Reinifer said to me as he spoke of the stern looking SS officer, "...This is Colonel Karl von Hershing... He'll be assisting us in our next objective... Colonel, this is Corporal Heinrich Schifler and Private Hans Kiefel, two of my best men."

"They had better be." Hershing replied. I looked over the SS officer named Hershing, having a striking resemblance to Hitler's 'ideal Aryan.' He stood at six foot and had blond hair with strikingly deep blue eyes. He was a rather youthful, even handsome looking 35 year old who had a rather strong, athletic, yet still slim looking build adorned in a tan SS officer's uniform for his current situation, complete with SS markings and a peaked cap with a death head. He had a stern yet calm aura about him that seemed to be masking something even more sinister.

"I'm wondering how Rommel allowed you here, Karl." I spoke with suspicion.

"Heinrich!" Reinifer spoke with firm sternness.

"Rommel doesn't need to know," Hershing replied as he walked over towards his men, " _He_ does not control me, I only take orders from the Fuhrer... And under my command, _Corporal_ , you will refer to me as Colonel or Sir, is that clear?!" I paused and looked at him with aggravation as he had his back to me, but he was not patient for a response, "Corporal Schifler!" Hershing said indignantly, demanding a response to his question.

"...Yes, sir." I said stubbornly through my teeth.

Hershing then walked back over and stood rather menacingly in front of me, speaking, "I am the one who is now in control here... There is something of ours in that building in the possession of the British, and I want it back... _You_ will escort me there, _Corporal,_ and you will do it efficiently and explicitly as I command... Is that clear?""

"What's in that building that's _so_ interesting?" I said, "...If I can ask, _Sir_?"

"...That's none of your concern," Hershing replied, "You will just help me get it back... Then later, we'll have a talk about your attitude, Corporal." Hershing then walked back over towards his men as two German half tracks, .251s, with SS markings and armed with machine guns, and possibly even flame projectors, rolled up and Hershing's SS soldiers started loading onto them.

Hershing himself boarded one of the half tracks and mounted the machine gun at the front. I watched with disdain as this Colonel Hershing and his SS soldiers ride off in their half tracks, right when Kiefel and Reinifer walked up to me, "We need to keep moving," Reinifer said as he put a hand on my shoulder, trying to reassure me, "The sooner they get their objective, the sooner they'll leave."

Immediately, I strongly doubted that, but I decided to stay silent this time and take his word for it, then Kiefel, Reinifer and I moved down the street with the rest of the Afrika Korps infantry and our single Panzer following from behind, as we traveled down the street alongside the two half tracks carrying the SS soldiers... However, my wariness of the SS presence was interrupted as we encountered more British infantry down the road. In the ensuing fierce skirmish in the streets to the sixth building, several friendlies were struck down by bullets, but I fired my Thompson and shot five enemies as Kiefel and Reinifer gunned down a few others with MP 40 shots. The other German soldiers kept firing more intense gunfire that shot multiple British soldiers, clearing enemies away from street positions and building windows as we moved on while I shot two more British.

As us Afrika Korps infantry kept fighting in the streets, the SS soldiers aimed and fired their guns from the top of their half tracks, gunning down any opponents with icy conviction and smashing through any objects in their way. The half tracks blazed hails of machine gun fire that struck several enemies down, with Hershing emitting some roaring MG 42 rounds that decimated enemy positions and tore a few soldiers to bloody bits.

I shot several more enemies with Thompson fire as Kiefel and Reinifer gunned down a few more, and after some vicious fighting down the different streets, we found ourselves staring at the back of the sixth target building, right at the edge of the town of Khirsijine. Some more enemy infantry came in, and though a few more friendlies were gunned down, the other Germans fired some gunfire and shot several British in return as SS soldiers from the half tracks fired their guns and struck a few more down, diminishing the last resistance defending the building.

The Panzer aimed and fired a shell that destroyed two positions at the base of the building, when suddenly, Hershing's half track enhanced its speed and drove right at a remaining enemy position. The defenders attempted to run away... But it was too late, for the few British soldiers were run over by the German half track, and they screamed as they were roughly crushed by the SS vehicle's wheels and treads.

But Hershing didn't care about that. He only wanted what was in the sixth building, as he exited the half track with some of his soldiers. I shot two remaining soldiers with my Thompson and then I walked over towards the sixth target building to inspect.

"The filthy Limey pigs are entrenched in there," a nearby SS soldier said, "Burn those cowards!"

Immediately, I felt heat and light originating behind me, and I turned to see two SS soldiers blazing fire from flame projectors on their half tracks at British positions on the sixth building, setting the back of the building ablaze. Two burning British soldiers jumped out of the building and landed on the ground, and they writhed in pain from the blaze that engulfed them... Until it finished them up. Some more British soldiers appeared in the large hole in the building made by the Panzer shell, attempting a last defense, but the SS soldiers all fired their rifles and fiercely gunned them down before soundly finishing them off with a couple of grenades.

"Now..." Hershing said with a relishing smile, "Move in and burn the rest of them!"

I watched Hershing move into the sixth building, followed by a few of his SS soldiers. I watched them suspiciously, but as if he could sense my feelings right away, Reinifer quickly walked up and said, "Keep moving, Heinrich... We're almost done here."

I went into the building with Kiefel and Reinifer as Hershing moved in down a hall with some of his SS, coldly gunning down a couple opposing British soldiers down as if they were performing an execution. Then, a British S.A.S. commando appeared, blazing some Sten rounds that took out an SS soldier, but another SS soldier struck the commando down with MP 35 fire just before Hershing brandished his personal Luger P08 pistol and finished him off with a firm shot to the head.

"Commandos," Reinifer said, "So they are here... Be careful." Another British commando appeared, but I took aim quickly and gunned him down as another came out and shot an SS soldier... Only for himself to be shot up by another an SS storm trooper. We all moved down the hall just before coming right up to a door, and the SS soldiers looked over to inspect and possibly breach it.

"Standartenfuhrer," an SS soldier said, "This door should lead to it."

"Break it down," Hershing ordered, then turned to Reinifer, "Captain, take your men and eliminate any resistance in the building, then hold it off from any counterattacks... My men and I will secure our objective... I know it's here somewhere."

The SS soldiers then broke down the door and tossed a grenade inside the room. Once the blast went off, Hershing and his soldiers entered the room and disappeared from my sight, which gave me some satisfaction that I didn't have to be around them anymore, at least, not for the remainder of the battle.

"Come on," I said, "Let's finish up here."

"Schifler, Kiefel, you're with me," Reinifer said, then turned to several other Afrika Korps soldiers behind them in the building, "The rest of you, clear these rooms and take positions. We'll be expecting a counterattack soon."

Following the orders, the other Germans went through the different halls and rooms, engaging any resistance while Kiefel, Reinifer and I went down a hall and entered a room, seeing a couple commandos. We took cover by some objects in the room as they blazed some Sten rounds, but Kiefel and I fired some SMG fire back and gunned a commando down. These commandos were tougher than the regular British soldiers, but we held our ground as Reinifer struck down the other one, then we moved out of the room to the hallway, where we encountered two more enemy soldiers. After dodging their Sten bullets, I fired my gun and struck one of the commandos down as Kiefel gunned down the other, just before heading down the hall to another room.

Entering this room, we found three commandos, and we took cover behind tables and crates as they rained some Sten rounds on our positions. We fired some SMG fire back, and in the firefight, Reinifer struck down one of them, but the other two still put up a defense. But as the fighting went on, Kiefel and I fired some SMG shots and gunned the remaining two down, just before going through a doorway to come across some stairs, where I found a commando on a balcony above... And after dodging his Sten rounds, I fired some shots back and riddled him, causing the commando to fall from the balcony to the ground.

We all rushed up the stairs and entered the second floor. Once entering the second floor, a British soldier was found right near the entrance, but as he raised his rifle, I brandished my knife and charged to make a slash at him, stabbing the enemy before moving forward down the hall. As they came up onto a door, Reinifer kicked it down as Kiefel threw a Stielhandgranate inside, and after the blast went off, Kiefel and I fired some SMG fire into the room and gunned a couple of the enemies down. We then entered the room, where we engaged another, and as I blazed some cover shots, Reinifer aimed and shot the enemy down as well, clearing the room. After this ordeal, we went back into the hallway, where we found two more doors remaining.

"Schifler, take that door on the right," Reinifer ordered, "Kiefel, with me. Let's take the one straight down."

"Right," Kiefel said, "I'm on it."

Immediately, I went towards the door on the right as Kiefel and Reinifer went straight down the hall towards the other one. Once I saw them go through the door, I faced my target and kicked it down to enter the room... And that's right when I saw a British commando with a beard and wearing a ghutrah kept in place by an agal. He immediately noticed me and tried to take aim with his Enfield rifle.

"Shit!" I shouted as I rushed at the commando before he could take proper aim, and we engaged in a brawl. I pushed my Thompson against his Enfield rifle, but then it was swiped from my hands, so I seized hold of the commando's Enfield rifle, and as we both held firmly onto the rifle, the commando and I wrestled fiercely in an intense battle.

In much vicious wrestling, I held my grip firmly on the rifle as I struggled to get it out of the hands of the British commando, but after much more struggling, the commando managed to get it out of my hands instead, but I got back up and swiped at the gun with one hand, then I swiped at the rifle again with my left, grabbing hold of it, and as I kept hold of the rifle, I hit the commando with my fist hard before I then punched him with my left in his stomach. I then seized hold of the Enfield rifle with both my hands and we struggled much more. The commando and I wrestled fiercely over the rifle, keeping our firm hold on it, but after some more fighting, I punched him hard with my right fist and forced him back, just before brandishing my knife and rushing at him with it. The commando seized hold of my wrists as I grabbed one of his arms with my free hand and then we struggled with one another over my knife. It was a long struggle, but I kept wrestling intensely with the commando with my knife until he managed to swipe it out of my hand, only for me to swipe at him back and then thrust a kick at his chest, sending him careening out a nearby window to fall to his death.

I picked my Thompson back up and went over towards the room next to this one, opening up to see a group of British, and where I primed a stielhandgranate and threw it in, the blast taking out two of the four enemies inside. Before the other two could regain focus, I aimed my Thompson and shot a British soldier down, but my ammo drum finished up before I could take the other one... So I took out my knife and, as he aimed his Enfield, I charged at the British soldier and slashed at him, stabbing him down and eliminating the last of the resistance in the room.

Reloading my Thompson, I went out the room to the hall, where I regrouped with Kiefel and Reinifer. "You look pretty worn, Heinrich," Kiefel stated, "...You holding up?"

"I'm fine, Hans." I replied.

Suddenly, several Afrika Korps soldiers came towards us in the halls, with one speaking, "Rest of the building's clear, Captain."

"Good," Reinifer said, "Everyone, take positions at the windows. Prepare for any counterattacks."

"Yes, sir." we all replied, and then me, Kiefel, Reinifer and multiple German soldiers entered into the right side room that I was in, which was a long room lined with windows. The German soldiers in the building all lined at the windows along the room, aiming their guns out towards the desert at the edge of town. I readied my Thompson gun and also kept my Gewehr rifle prepared as I looked out the window, seeing desert outside. Below me, I saw a firm line of German infantry aiming their rifles at the desert before us as they were positioned in trenches and in crate and sand bag protected cover lining the edge of the town, while some others were positioned in buildings at the edge as well.

"Their attack should come at us from across the desert," Reinifer stated, "Be ready for anything."

"Yeah," Kiefel shouted enthusiastically, "Come get some, you Limey bastards!"

"Captain Reinifer," I said with a hint of worry, "Did you see Hershing anywhere?"

"...No... I haven't." Reinifer replied.

This made me a bit suspicious, but I just decided to focus on the upcoming battle. I kept my Thompson aimed out the window of the building at the desert before me as the lines of German infantry aimed their guns at the desert from the defensive lines at the edge of the town. It was only a momentary wait, for several Crusader tank shells rained down just in front of the German positions, causing very minor damage... And soon, a large amount of British infantry swarmed across the desert, with Crusader tanks following in from behind.

"Shit!" Kiefel shouted, "Here they come!"

"Kill those dirty Limey bastards!" a German soldier shouted.

Immediately, a vicious battle ensued as the lines of German infantry were all firing their rifles in intensely fierce fighting, emitting immense gunfire that was cutting numerous British soldiers down while I gunned two others down with Thompson shots. As Germans were emitting intense gunfire from the trenches and buildings at the British force, I fired my Thompson and shot five British soldiers, while Kiefel aimed and struck a few others with MP 40 rounds as I aimed and gunned another two down. In the vicious fighting, the German soldiers were all firing more hails rifle fire that shot multiple British infantry, with the lines of German infantry firing immense rifle fire from the trenches at the enemy forces while MG 42s and captured Bren machine guns blazed some supporting fire. Reinifer blazed some SMG rounds and struck a few down while I fired some covering shots, gunning multiple enemies down with intense Thompson fire.

The Germans kept firing more intense gunfire from the trenches and buildings, cutting more enemies down in fierce fighting as Kiefel and I fired some covering shots. Friendly machine guns blazed powerful rounds that ripped off enemy limbs and shot enemies to bloody gory pieces as our remaining Panzer tank kept firing shells that demolished several Crusader tanks into flaming ruins. In the vicious fighting, I fired more intense Thompson fire and shot six enemies as the Germans kept fighting fiercely in the ferocious battle to hold off the enemy counterattack. However, as the fighting kept up, and the immense German rifle fire gunned numerous British down, the enemy forces started returning fire, striking a few friendlies down with bullets. However, the Germans kept fighting and firing their rifles, gunning more enemies down as Kiefel blazed some shots that raked a couple others with MP 40 fire and then he blazed some covering rounds so Reinifer could aim and shoot a couple others down as well... Then I shot numerous more enemies with more Thompson fire

While several more Germans were struck down by enemy bullets, friendly soldiers kept engaging in a hard defense, holding back the enemy assault with even greater determination. I shot two more enemy soldiers as Kiefel gunned down a few others, then we fired more covering SMG fire in supporting friendlies in the trenches below, while the line of Germans there were still fighting fiercely and firing their rifles immensely, cutting numerous enemies down. Supporting machine gun fire ripped several more enemies to bloody bits in a gory display as the last Panzer destroyed a few more Crusaders with tank shells, which allowed us regular infantry to keep fighting ever more fiercely. As the Germans kept firing more intense gunfire from the trenches and buildings at enemies in the desert in the fierce battle, I fired some Thompson fire and shot five enemies as Kiefel struck down a couple more, then I aimed and gunned two others down as well. A few more friendlies were struck down, but in the vicious fighting kept up as the Germans kept firing more intense rifle fire that hit numerous more British, cutting them down as we kept up our defence... And soon, we found ourselves beginning to repel the enemy assaults.

And we weren't the only ones in the fight, for behind me, we found Hershing himself and his SS soldiers enter the room, and they aimed and fired their guns out of the windows of the buildings, striking down any enemies they could find... Although I'd prefer not to have their help, we looked like we were about to win, giving me satisfaction, joy even... When suddenly, however, as the German defenders kept fighting the main assault, enemy snipers started raining bullets down onto the trench positions.

"Shit!" a German soldier said, "Enemy snipers!"

As Kiefel blazed some covering rounds, Reinifer looked through his binoculars at the desert and then went over to me with a serious look. "Heinrich," Reinifer said, "There's British snipers and machine gunners across the desert by the Crusader tanks in the distance... Use your Gewehr rifle to pick them off!"

"Drive those dirty Limey cowards back across the desert!" an SS soldier shouted.

Switching out my Thompson and brandishing my scoped Gewehr 43, I aimed out the rifle while the SS soldiers kept blazing relentless and aggressive gunfire at enemy positions. I watched the desert and saw intense gunfire blazing all over the sandy battlefield as if it were a light show. I aimed through the scope and took direct aim at the enemy tank line, where I saw the enemy snipers and machine gunners, still raining bullets on friendly positions.

"Heinrich, hurry and kill those fucking bastards," Kiefel said, "Or we'll get picked off!"

"The Panzer will hold off their armor," Reinifer stated, "But it won't last if you don't eliminate their support."

I aimed at one of the snipers and fired a round that struck him down. I then aimed and fired some more rounds that shot two more snipers before aiming and firing upon a few soldiers, gunning a couple down. After reloading, I aimed at a machine gunner and shot him dead, then I struck down another sniper. As I shot a couple more soldiers down, I aimed and shot down another gunner, and then I took aim at the re-loader as he took control of the gun and then I gunned him down too. I shot down another sniper, then I fired on a couple more soldiers, gunning a few down, then I took aim and shot two more snipers down. After some precise concentration, I shot one sniper down, then I aimed to the right and gunned down another sniper. I kept picking off far off enemies with Gewehr shots as the Panzer destroyed a couple other Crusader tanks... And as the fierce fighting went on, the enemy assault started diminishing.

"Ha! Keep it up, everyone!" a German said enthusiastically, "We're driving the bastards off! We've got them on the run!"

I kept firing my rifle at enemy positions, gunning more soldiers down as the German infantry kept fighting and firing more gunfire that shot several more enemies down... Then, after much more vicious fighting, the British forces finally retreated back across the desert... We had held the town defenses.

"They're running away," a German said, "The city is ours!"

"Come back any time, you Limey bastards!" another German said, "We'll be waiting for you!"

That was it... The battle of Khirsijine was over, and it ended in German victory... I kept a calm smile on my face to rejoice in one of the last victories for the Afrika Korps while all the other German soldiers cheered in joy for their win. Kiefel was very excited for the result of the battle and Reinifer just breathed relief, seeing that most of his soldiers had survived the struggle.

Kiefel wrapped his arm over my shoulders and said ecstatically, "One last victory for the Afrika Korps, right Heinrich?" However, as I looked around the room, my smile turned to a glare as I saw Hershing and his SS soldiers, still with a stoic aura about them, walk right out of the room... And aroused my suspicions, for I wondered what their next act will be.

"Right," I said, "...Victory."


	5. Our True Conflict

It had been shortly some time after we concluded our assault on Khirsijine, and added at least one last victory for the Afrika Korps. The battle had been incredibly ferocious, and while the German losses were minimal by comparison, the British had suffered very heavy casualties in the vicious fighting. A good number of prisoners had been taken too, and I watched a sizable line of British prisoners being moved out of town towards our camp.

As I watched the British prisoners being moved, I saw the German soldiers guarding them interact with them. While some were keeping their rifles ready matched with stern looks indicating cautiousness, other Germans were handing out food and cigarettes to some of the British prisoners, with some even telling jokes to them as well.

Kiefel walked up to me as we both watched the last of the prisoners exiting out of the town, and that's when he started speaking, "The British oppressed people all over, even their neighbors... They brought this war on themselves."

"You think so, Hans?" I asked.

"The British show great cruelty towards India and Ireland... Talking about democracy but failing to show it... caused such incidents like the Boxers' revolt... Though, the Chinese Boxers, themselves, were very brutal, genocidal murderers, savagely murdering a great number of people just for being different and destroying anyone who wasn't one of their people... The Boxers deserved to be crushed, harshly."

"...Remember when we visited China, back in 36'?" I said to him, "The people there were very nice to us... I just really wonder why it can't be like that all the time."

"Human nature," Kiefel said, "...But then again, it's the politicians that start wars... Not people, not soldiers... Politicians... Hitler hates other people, so he's teaching his followers to hate them too... Well he won't get to me, Heinrich... Why, what do you think?"

"People everywhere, like India, China, should be independent... Free... Everyone," I said, "Then we can all build true friendship... That's what I'm saying, Hans."

"...And now, they're under threat of expansion by Japan, our allies... Hitler's expanding the exploitation of the British, he's causing this war... Hopefully, he'll be gone before he does enough damage."

Suddenly, however, I noticed someone walking up to us from behind, and once turning around, I found it to be Hershing himself, standing there with Reinifer and another SS officer, "Schifler, Kiefel," Reinifer spoke, "...Colonel Hershing wants a word with you."

"Oh boy." Kiefel whispered to himself as we got up and walked over to the SS commander.

"...You two will come with me to the other side of this town," Hershing spoke, "...There, we will deal with your insubordination, Corporal."

"Insubordination?!" Kiefel said, "All he did was ask a few questions... Where do you get off-" but before he could finish his comment, Reinifer placed a firm hand on his arm, reminding him to stay in line.

"...Standartenfuhrer," Reinifer spoke, "...I will handle their punishment... I know that Heinrich can be a bit rude, but he's still a good soldier... I will ensure he's disciplined for his remarks."

"The words of this Corporal and this Private are clear disrespect," Hershing stated, "If not punished thoroughly, they will lead to disobedience."

"That's why I'm asking you to allow me to punish them, since they are _my_ men."

"Now." Hershing spoke to us sternly, almost threateningly. Kiefel and I glared at the SS officer angrily before we then started walking, following him down the streets towards the other side of town while Reinifer stood behind and watched with worry. As we walked, Hershing pointed to the other SS officer, a tough and ruthless looking man with brown hair, a mustache and glasses, "This is Captain Leischer," Hershing stated, "He'll assist in your punishment."

As he spoke, Hershing was reading quickly through a small book with a brown cover. Kiefel and I saw the brown book, causing Kiefel to ask, "That what you came for, Colonel? Is that what we went to all that trouble for to get?"

"Well, if you must know, it's quite important," Hershing stated, "...It was stolen from the SS office in Tunis by those same commandos we encountered in that building... It could assist us greatly in the war."

"Assist us Germans, or you Nazis?" I said, making Kiefel a bit wary of what would happen.

"...You never learn, do you, Corporal," Hershing said collectedly, "...You keep adding to the list of comments that need to be paid for with correction."

"So, you should be _leaving_ Africa right now." I said firmly.

"And, who told you this? You're Captain... Is he _really_ a source of truth?"

This remark made me very angry, so I furiously stated, almost shouted, "Captain Reinifer's an excellent commander! He's _always_ taken care of us, just like a good leader should... He's lead us into great victories, such as Khirsijine here, and he's _always_ been honest and caring of us... So _yes_ , I believe him!"

Hershing responded with an angry glare, but as I kept my own glare, suddenly, his turned into a devious smile... One that disturbed me as he then spoke, "You may be impolite, Corporal, but you are loyal... Perhaps, with the right direction, you could make a valuable asset to the Fuhrer."

"I have no care for the Nazis," I said sternly, "I only serve Germany."

Even Kiefel suddenly became worried as I made my bold statement... But Hershing kept his now calm composure. "Hm... Don't worry, Corporal, we will take our leave from Africa," Hershing said, looking through the book in his hands, "...Right after we're done here."

Hershing then closed his book and started walking as I walked suspiciously alongside him. Kiefel and Leischer stood momentarily behind us as we walked, and as a worried Kiefel looked over at Leischer... He could see the stern looking SS officer had his hand right over his holster, about to draw his Walther P38 pistol... But he then moved his hand away from his gun and then he and Kiefel followed after me and Hershing.

We kept walking over towards the edge of Khirsijine, and as I walked alongside Hershing, I saw that we were far away from any Afrika Korps soldiers, who were mostly on the other side of the town... As I went over to this isolated part of the town, I became suspiciously worried... What could be going on over here, like he's trying to keep something secret...

...I could only see Hershing's SS soldiers in this part of Khirsijine, and with Reinifer's Afrika Korps regiment on the other side of the town, away from the SS presence, Hershing felt free to carry out his wishes... And as I turned around a corner with him, I could see just what his desires were... Up against wall of a large building around the corner, I saw SS soldiers exemplifying their brutality to captured British troops. Several SS German soldiers were viciously beating a few captured British soldiers with their fists and rifle stocks, while others rounded up some captured British into groups and forced them up against the wall... And with the group of over twenty captured British soldiers against the building, the SS soldiers all formed a line, aimed and fired their guns, cutting the British soldiers down in a bloody mess. Other SS soldiers fired their guns and ruthlessly shot down dispersed prisoners and stabbed a few others with bayonets, while the SS troops by the wall forced another group up for execution, gunning them down in a pool of blood... It was a massacre, a cruel execution.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing... Hershing's SS troops were brutally murdering the numerous British in their hands... I just knew something like this would happen, "What the Hell is this?!" I demanded as I stood in front of Hershing.

"Executing criminals," Hershing replied, "These men are enemies, and they deserve death."

I looked around and saw several more SS troops bloodily gunning down small groups of prisoners while a couple other SS soldiers started setting buildings ablaze with sprays from their flammenwerfers. Others stabbed and twisted their bayonets into their prisoners, making them scream in agony.

"Sir, some British are still holed up in this building." An SS operator armed with a flammenwerfer stated to Hershing.

"Those cowards can hide in there if they want," Hershing replied, "Just flush them out."

The operator then turned towards the building and fired a few bursts on the upper floor... The SS soldiers kept beating and executing prisoners with their rifles and bayonets, with the lines of SS soldiers still firing hails of gunfire at groups of British prisoners, cutting them down in a bloody display of gore... And I saw this whole display in absolute contempt. Kiefel went up to Hershing and demanded, "Why are you doing this?!"

"You think you're fighting a fair, clean war?" Hershing said calmly, "This is just a small piece of a grand design," Hershing then turned to me, "These actions will show you your true place."

" _This_... _This_ is his punishment!?" Kiefel asked with despair.

"Punishment?" Hershing said, as if he were a bit puzzled, "I'm astounded. I know of your animosity towards the British, Private Kiefel... I would think you two would be glad."

"This is just senseless murder!" I shouted, "This is criminal, an atrocity!

"The Afrika Korps will not tolerate these actions in their territory," Kiefel stated, "When Rommel finds out about this, he'll have your head!"

"He'll have absolutely nothing," Hershing said rather calmly, "My orders come from above, from the Fuhrer... Besides, Rommel and his Korps will know nothing about this, for once we're done, we'll cover it up... So don't worry, your wonderful Korps will be left unstained."

"This is bullshit," I shouted, "You won't get away with this!"

"We have," Hershing continued smoothly, "Don't you get it... You're all just part of the Fuhrer's conquest, even if you refuse to see it that way... What do you think will happen when we drive to the Middle East? There's Jews in Palestine, and Hitler has plans for them as well... Even if Rommel's Korps refuse to act on them, the Fuhrer will just send others, like me, to carry out his will... Your helping to pave the way for that, Corporal... Yes, the Korps may be a humane, professional force, and you and and all of your particular regiment of Afrika Korps Germans may want nothing to do with the Fuhrer or his vision... But, those outside your regiment and Reinifer's influence are still loyal to us... My point is, Corporal, is that what you're a part of, is not any different."

"I'm nothing like you!" I shouted firmly, "Neither is Kiefel or Reinifer or any of our comrades! We are loyal to Germany, not the Fuhrer, or his Nazis!"

However, suddenly, I saw Leischer slam the handle of his pistol on the back of Kiefel's neck, sending him to the ground... And as Kiefel lay on the ground, holding the back of his neck and moaning in pain, an SS soldier came up to me and thrust ed his rifle stock into my stomach, sending me to my knees and clutching my stomach in pain, which was followed with Leischer slapping the back of my head and knocking my helmet off.

I looked up and saw the line of SS soldiers firing immense gunfire that brutally cut down over twenty more British prisoners in a bloody, gory massacre, before going up to any survivors and finishing them off with sharp bayonet stabs and cold gunshots to the head... And I then turned in despair to Hershing

Hershing looked at me with a devilish smile as he calmly spoke, "...Don't you understand, Schifler... Whether you like it or not, _we're_ what you're fighting for, _we're_ Germany now," Hershing then turned back to the wall to see the last group of prisoners being lined up against it, ready for execution, "...You have too much optimism for a harmonious world, Schifler... Such things are unrealistic and rather ridiculous, and they need to be stamped out... Showing you that you are in a cruel, harsh war should do just that."

I looked over at the prisoners and saw one kneeling at the front of them... He looked rather young, about 20 or so, with, and he looked scared, "...You're just a perversion of a German," Kiefel said angrily as he looked up, "You're nothing more than a butcher!"

"...What I am, Kiefel, is a surgeon, removing society's dead flesh," Hershing said, then turned to me, drawing his Luger pistol, "We are here to heal our country, first by removing infections, like Communism, religion... So much chaos exists in this world because of these insipid ideals... But as much as your religions teach to show compassion for the weak, you should know that there is no god, or any of that in our world... This world should exist for the strong... And that's why we Nazis are here for, to remove these superstitions and replace them with cures... So that we can actually _have_ a great world to live in... Do you understand any of this?"

"...Why do you care," I said, still lying on the ground, "I know what you are... You want to harm people, not help them! ...You'll probably slaughter the Russians, like animals?!"

"Well, you can only treat an animal so appropriately," Hershing replied, "The Third Reich will have a lasting legacy on this world, and I will rule as part of it... After I have succeeded in my missions throughout this war, the Fuhrer will reward my actions... Then we can build great power and prosperity for our new German empire."

"Oh, give it a rest will you," Suddenly came a youthful sounding voice with an English accent, and as I looked over, I saw that it came from the young prisoner at the front... He didn't seem so scared anymore, "Who do you think you are, bullying those two Jerries?! Don't you see even they're not buying your lies?!"

"You filthy Limey brat!" Leischer said menacingly, aiming the barrel of his Walther at the prisoner's head, "You say another word and I'll kill you!"

"...Why do you Nazis do these things, even to your fellow Germans?" The prisoner continued, "Why do you feel you can just take things and kill other people, huh?!" Leischer quickly cocked his gun, but before he could perform any execution, Hershing walked over towards them and placed a hand on Leischer's pistol, getting the right hand to lower his weapon.

"...Why," Hershing said to the wary prisoner, stopping right before him and giving him a stern glare, and then continued saying very firmly, "...Because we _can_ , because it's our _right_ , because you _fell_ for it, because _all_ of our enemies, like you British, are _inferior_!"

The prisoner tried to follow up with, "Rommel will not allow-"

"Rommel is a fool," Hershing interrupted, "My men and I are _not_ Afrika Korps, like those two over there, we're not naive enough to be simple Heer soldiers... We are SS, the elite!"

After Hershing made that statement, Leischer slapped the prisoner hard, just before an SS soldier struck the prisoner hard a couple times with his rifle stock, "Germans believe in honor and valor," I said firmly in defiance, "There's no honor in what your doing... You're not a German at all!"

"You're right, Schifler," Hershing said, "...I'm just better, and we will make all of Germany better as well, once we get rid of the inferior, like those savage Russian animals you mentioned... Then we can heal our society," The SS officer then knelt down to my level, placing his playful hand on my chin and looking at me rather mischievously before speaking, "...But before that, before our great country can be cured, you should know that this is a harsh war, and being harsh is necessary, to destroy anyone opposing German greatness... So you should understand that these prisoners deserve death because they're the enemy... But even then, I don't think that you'll get that with just this. No, for that, for you, Schifler, it needs something more."

Hershing then looked over to some SS soldiers and gave them a gesture with two fingers, and what happened next... My anger disappeared, and all that remained was just grief and despair... I saw the SS soldiers start escorting a group of regular civilians, Arab nomads, over towards the prisoners, and I remembered these Arabs as the same nomads I had came across earlier, the ones we helped get across the desert... They were being grouped with the prisoners, and that told me just what Hershing would do to them. I nearly said something until the next sight rendered me absolutely speechless... I saw that ten year old boy, that same one I taught to play football, among them... I couldn't believe it, I tried to say something, but... I just couldn't speak.

"...Yes," Hershing said, kneeling down next to the boy and placing a hand on his shoulder while looking at me, "These are the ones, Schifler, the ones you helped pass across the desert... This boy, you taught to play a game, is that it? He is a part of your world, and reminds you just what your new born son might grow up to be, hm... Well, he will know as well, what _real_ kind of world you have."

Suddenly, Hershing stood up and pulled out his knife, just before he turned around and walked over to the British prisoners at the wall, and with a devious glare, he stood right at the young prisoner who spoke out earlier, placing a firm hand on the prisoner's shoulder and the knife to his throat. I watched as the curious boy turned to see what Hershing was doing... Just as the SS officer was viciously slicing the prisoner's neck with his knife, leaving a crude line of ripped flesh with blood spitting out. Hershing then kicked over his victim and wiped the bloody knife clean on the sleeve of the dead prisoner... The boy became rightly scared from seeing this, and I just couldn't talk at all, for my grief had taken me... The SS officer then walked over and grabbed something out of a nearby truck, revealing it to be a football, that same ball I gave to the boy.

"...Sir, please, leave them alone," Kiefel said, trying to plead with Hershing out of desperation, "They've done nothing, so don't kill them, please."

However, Hershing ignored my friend and kept his attention on me and the boy, kneeling back down next to the boy and placing a calm hand on his shoulder, handing the boy the football, "...You know," Hershing spoke, "...It's really wonderful how much joy something as simple as a ball can give," Hershing then looked at the boy and continued with, "...Just think, you could have a lot of fun with this, and with what you friend, Herr Schifler, taught you... How much joy it'll give you."

Hershing then spoke quietly and smoothly, "...But joy is something you earn." and stood up... And to my absolute despair, revealed his knife in his right hand... And with a twisted smile relishing in sadism, Hershing raised and aimed the knife at the back of the boy's head... My grief couldn't enable me to watch this, it was too much, so I looked down and my eyes closed... That's when I heard Hershing plunge the knife, and a body falling to the ground.

...When I reopened my eyes, I looked up to see Hershing... The boy was gone now... Hershing came over to me and put a stern grip on the hair on the back of my head, raising my head up to meet his face as he gave me a menacing glare, and spoke with firm anger through his teeth, "You _will_ watch this!" Hershing then released his grasp from my hair and I watched as he stood up and turned to his SS soldiers, who were all lined and had their MP 35 guns aimed and ready at the large group of British prisoners and Arab civilians bunched against the wall... And when Hershing gave an order with a simple gesture with his fingers, that's when the horrible chaos began... Immediately, the SS soldiers were firing intense hails of gunfire at the prisoners and civilians, cutting them all down in a viciously brutal massacre. The SS blazed raining bullets that bloodily riddled their victims, tearing them to shreds in bloody, gory display as the bullets ripped off pieces of flesh... And the SS soldiers just kept firing until they cut down the remaining victims in the gory slaughter, leaving them to lie in a pool of blood.

...I was breathing very heavily now, trying to keep myself under control a midst the extremely sickening grief and despair that consumed me... Hershing then walked over and knelt down to me, placing a soft hand on my chin as I looked up at him, then he spoke rather calmly, "Remember, Heinrich... This is what your war is... You, Reinifer and all of your regiment may be against the Fuhrer's vision, but... The rest of Germany, even the Afrika Korps, are loyal to us, because, we are what Germany is now... And you are a part of it... You get this, Schifler?"

Hershing then got up and walked away as I looked down, my eyes closing in absolute despair... But I just remained very quiet, for there was nothing I could do... Hershing, he wasn't just any typical Nazi... No, he was much worse...

That's when two SS soldiers came over and picked me up by my arms and started dragging me over somewhere, and I looked up, I could see Hershing's second man, Leischer walking in front of me while I was being dragged... And my eyes closed again.

* * *

When I re awoke, I found myself laying on the ground, in a desert just off the outskirts of Khirsjine. I looked up and saw only two SS soldiers with their guns trained on me. There was an Opel Blitz truck parked next to us as I looked over and saw Leischer standing in front of me, keeping a stern glare as I saw past him and noticed Kiefel sitting on the ground with a third SS soldier keeping watch on him... And when I looked past that, I saw Hershing and Reinifer, having quite a talk.

"This is unacceptable, disgraceful!" Reinifer shouted at the SS colonel, "I will not tolerate these actions! Those prisoners should have been handed over to us!"

"Why, so they could be given affection? They were enemies, and therefore, criminals," Hershing said, "They got what they deserved... Besides we'll make sure the incident is buried, if that's what you're worried about... No one will ever know of that, Captain?"

"You will do no such thing!" Reinifer replied angrily, "I know of it, so I will have you reported for this, then Rommel will surely deal with you, whether you're under his command or not... You're actions will be severely punished, I assure you of that, Hershing!"

"...You know, sometimes I wonder of your methods, Captain," Hershing stated, "If you are unable to take what's expected of you towards simple desert rats, how do you expect to handle the rest of the British forces, or the Yankees when they arrive, hm?"

"Same as we've always handled them... Now, release my two men back to me, now!" Reinifer demanded as he then started walking over to us, aiming to help us up... Just when a bullet suddenly sliced through his head, forcing him to fall dead on the ground... Shocked with incredible despair, I looked up and saw that Hershing had just fired that bullet from his Luger.

"What the fuck?!" a shocked Kiefel shouted, then turned to Hershing with fury, but was restrained by the SS soldier guarding him, "You fucking bastard!"

" _No one_ , will ever know of this," Hershing replied, "Or any other actions of _my_ troops... Besides, your beloved Captain Reinifer has been manipulating your regiment against the Fuhrer, so that could not be tolerated," Then he started speaking rather smoothly, "...And I'm also afraid, that you two are far too swayed by his influence... That can't be tolerated either... I will be rewarded for my loyal service as we rise to create our new German world... But your treachery will weigh you both down, and you will be left behind."

"...So you're going to kill us?" Kiefel said, putting it together, "...Well, we didn't even need his influence to know that your Fuhrer is a madman!"

"But no one else will know that," Hershing responded with, "...Reinifer was a threat, and you two are his primary extensions... Sure, they're others in Germany against the Fuhrer, and to be honest, I can't extinguish them all, but... While I'm here, I can suppress _this_... For you know the existence my troops... And a threat to Hitler's power, is a threat to mine as well, and that won't be accepted." Hershing then knelt down to me and put a hand on my shoulder, speaking softly, "Don't be sad for Reinifer, Heinrich... Look on the bright side, you'll be joining him, soon enough." The SS colonel stood up, turning to Leischer and spoke, "Silence him here." Hershing then started walking back into the town.

"You sick bastard!" Kiefel shouted.

"Bring him." Hershing said, and the guard then picked Kiefel up by his arm and started marching him behind Hershing, and together, the three men, Hershing, Kiefel and the man guarding him, walked back into town, moving down the street until they disappeared behind the buildings, leaving me in the sandy edge of the town with Leischer and the two other guards by the truck. With the two guards standing watch by the bed of the truck, Leischer stood behind me, readying his gun for my apparent fate...

Ever since that massacre, all I could feel was immense sadness, so much, I still couldn't talk, but once I saw Kiefel disappear behind those buildings with that monster... Suddenly, my sadness started changing into something else, all this senseless murder and cruelty, I just couldn't take it anymore... My blood was furiously rushing through me as I discovered my new emotion, deeply consuming me in fury... Intense, fiery rage.

"Turn and face me," Leischer ordered to me, readying his Walther pistol, "I want to see you as you die, traitor!"

I still knelt down, facing away from the second in command when suddenly, my M35 helmet and my Thompson had been thrown down next to me by the man... With my murderously hot fury intensifying, I stood up and turned to face him, giving him a mad glare that matched his. I noticed the two guards by the rear of the truck, lighting their cigarettes and keeping their guns leaned against the truck, as if they didn't expect anything else to happen.

"...You can die with your possessions, soldier." Leischer said coldly as he raised his Walther right at me, and I just kept watching with anger to meet my apparent fate, keeping my fiery eyes of ice on his face as he looked at me with stoic ruthlessness... Leischer aimed his Walther pistol in the direction of my eye and placed his finger over the trigger. My anger was all I could think of, and I think that made me unafraid as I watched sternly while his finger pulled the trigger of the gun... And once it was pulled, all I heard was a click, nothing had happened... For the gun had jammed.

"Damn thing!" Leischer said of his jammed pistol, and that's right when I made my move, pouncing to firmly grab his wrist and swing the gun out of the way. The other two guards noticed this and picked up their guns before they rushed over to me, not daring to shoot yet out of concern of hitting Leischer instead of me. I struggled with the SS Captain and then threw him at the guards as they aimed, knocking them both down and one out. The other guard still remained conscience as he got up while I swiped Leischer's knife from his belt, then as the remaining guard charged towards me, in my fury, I seized hold of his gun with one hand and then violently stabbed him in the neck with the knife, spilling his blood over his tunic and the sand and ending him as well. This was followed with Leischer kicking the knife from my hand, but after dodging his fist, I managed to grab the back of his head and ram him against the front of the truck, knocking him unconscionable.

With the guards dispatched, I picked up and put on my M35 Stahlhelm and then brandished a scoped FG 42 gun off one of the guards while slinging my Thompson again over my shoulder... I felt completely enraged, almost unstoppable now... And I was furiously hellbent on rescuing Kiefel, and taking the life of my executioners... I wanted revenge.

Now in sheer hot rage, I rushed furiously towards Khirsijine, firmly holding my FG 42. Two SS soldiers appeared and made an attack, shooting a few bullets, but I quickly dodged out of their line of fire and sprayed some rounds back at them. These SS soldiers seemed to be a lot tougher than regular troops, and it took a number of shots to bring each down, but even their strength and accuracy couldn't match to my seething fury as I gunned them down rather mercilessly, spilling their blood into a pool in the sand.

With my heated blood red anger, I ran down the street, gunning down another SS soldier who fired on me before another came at me with a bayonet. I quickly dodged that attack and shot him in return, taking him down into a pool of his own blood as one more SS soldier came in with a knife, but as he tried to bring the blade down on me, I grabbed his wrist and then stabbed him in the neck with my own knife before throwing him to the ground. I went up the street and took cover from a spray of bullets fired by two more SS, but I aimed and furiously gunned one of them down. The other one charged at me with a knife, but I blocked the attack with my gun and kicked him away, just before shooting him to the ground.

I continued on my incredibly hot rampage, angrily fighting the SS soldiers with violent mercilessness while still rushing forwards into the town, searching for Kiefel and Hershing. I encountered two more SS soldiers and engaged them in a firefight. They showed themselves to be very relentless, but I kept firing at them, further riddling the SS soldiers with bullets, and spilling their blood into the sandy streets. They were still very tough and aggressive fighters, showing to be durable and deadly, but they could not stop me or my bloodthirsty rage as I ruthlessly gunned every one of them down.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice, as if someone nearby had heard the commotion, "Heinrich!" The voice shouted from a nearby building to my right.

"Hans!" I shouted, "Hold on, I'm coming!"

I ran towards the next building, aiming for the source of the voice. One more SS soldier came out on the street to attack, but I shot him to pieces. Immediately afterwards, I wielded my Thompson and entered the building, kicking down the door to find a sight that briefly took away my anger and replaced it with relief... I saw Kiefel himself, and he was being threatened by an SS guard.

The guard kicked Kiefel down and proceeded to aim his gun at him, but I was quicker. "RRRRAAAAAAAAAGGHHHH!" I shouted as I aimed and shot the guard down first. When I took my first steps towards my friend, I barely had enough time to hear him say, "Watch out!" just as another man, Hershing, came at me with a knife. As he brought the blade down on me, I blocked the knife with my Thompson as he seized hold of my weapon with his other hand. I wrestled Hershing fiercely over the rifle, and after some intense struggling, I knocked him away and then ran over to Kiefel's aid, helping him up.

"Hold on!" Kiefel told me as, instead of going for the exit, he went to another room, as if he was looking for something in particular before we left.

"Hans!" I said in alert, but it was too late, for a bigger problem presented itself with Hershing now boasting an FG 42 gun at the other end of the room. We both fired some fiery gunshots at one another as we rushed to cover, and I barely made it behind a wall before the bullets chasing me were stopped by the wall's edge. I turned around and blazed several rounds as he took cover and fired back towards me, forcing me behind the wall before I aimed and shot back. Hershing and I kept shooting at each other in the room, but eventually, I wore out his spot well enough, only to discover I was low on ammunition... I decided to save those. Hershing seemed to know my situation, for he reloaded and turned out of his cover to face me... That's when I charged.

I rushed by Thompson against his FG 42 and swiped the gun out of his hands, just before he grabbed hold of my gun. Hershing and I wrestled ever more furiously over the weapon, struggling to get it out of the others' grasp. Much fierce wrestling between the two of us ultimately lead to Hershing gaining the gun, getting it out of my hands and then striking me in the stomach with the stock. Before he could aim, I quickly got back up and grabbed hold of the gun again, and several rounds blazed from the gun as we struggled more over it until the firing stopped.

Hershing and I kept wrestling intensely over the gun, with much struggling against the others' strength and stubborn hands keeping their hold on the Thompson. As we wrestled some more, with one hand kept firmly on the gun, I threw my other fist in a hard punch at Hershing's stomach, which caused him some pain as he continued to struggle with me over the weapon. As we struggled ever more, I managed to swipe the Thompson out of his hands and strike him in the side with the stock, forcing him against the wall.

However, he wouldn't be dazed for long, as he pulled out his knife and charged at me, grabbing my Thompson with one hand while I blocked the knife with the gun in return. We kept wrestling even further with great fury, up until we finally struggled to swipe the gun out of each others' hands. I then attempted to throw a punch at the SS officer, but Hershing blocked the strike with his arm, then grabbed my arm firmly as he attempted to bring his knife at me, just in time for me to grab his wrist. I wrestled Hershing viciously over the knife, struggling to keep his arm from stabbing me. After much fierce wrestling, I managed to push the knife away, then seize hold of the SS officer's arms as I threw him against the wall, knocking him out temporarily.

That's right when Kiefel showed up from the room, holding something in his hands... The brown book, the one Hershing recovered from the building, "That'll teach him!" Kiefel said spitefully about Hershing.

"Come on!" I said impatiently, then we began to rush our way from the building. Before we could, I noticed that Kiefel had dropped a loose page from the book, but luckily, I quickly picked it back up and then we rushed out of the building together, heading down a street.

The two of us ran down the street together, with Kiefel holding onto the book as I held onto the page with one hand and my Thompson in the other. As we moved, suddenly, Kiefel tripped on a rock, but I quickly helped him back up as Kiefel spoke, "I'm all right, Heinrich!" ...I then turned away as I took several more steps down the road... Just when I heard a gunshot that roared past the street... I quickly turned back to Kiefel, almost frozen, just to see him quickly fall over with a gunshot wound in his back right through to his heart... Dead.

That's when I saw the man responsible for the shot, Hershing, come in with his Luger. I angrily attempted to aim my Thompson... But he was quicker, and fired first... And that's when I felt searing pain in my neck as I fell over, touching my neck to discover blood gushing from the gun shot wound made their by Hershing... I started having trouble breathing as blood kept seeping from the flesh wound on my throat... And I saw Hershing come in and pick up the brown book off of Kiefel's body as he then reloaded his gun.

That's the opportunity I took as I picked up my Thompson, sat back up and aimed as he started coming at me again... That's right when I fired the last couple bullets in the gun, and struck the SS officer right in the side of the stomach, bringing him down.

Hershing laid there on the ground, still moving slowly as I got back up, holding my neck wound with one hand as I walked over to him, aiming to grab the book. I looked at Kiefel with grief and remembrance momentarily before turning back to Hershing... But before I was just a few steps away, I heard the commotion of soldiers right nearby... Most likely SS soldiers... I wouldn't have time to get the book and get away, but I still had the page, so I ran over quickly behind a nearby market stand and hid there as I peered around the corner and, indeed saw SS soldiers come in. The soldiers spoke in German as they looked around, seeing the wounded Hershing lying on the ground and searching for the cause of trouble... Me.

Once they had their backs turned, I emerged from my spot and proceeded to move down an alley, holding my Thompson as I still felt the effects of my wound... And it continuing to take strength away from me little by little as I evaded the SS soldiers in the area.

... ...

I walked further down a street, now moving slower, feeling light headed from the blood streaming from my neck wound. I eventually came to the end of the street and lined my back against the wall of a building... I was right on the edge Khirsijine now, a rather lonely area of the town, and I no longer saw SS troops around.

Hiding behind the wall, I peered around to see an Opel Blitz truck... But I found another surprise emerge from a building next to the truck... Four British soldiers, attempting to make their escape from the fallen city... I rubbed my throat wound with my hand, for while I was clearly in no position to challenge them, I was not afraid of them either... I'll still confront them... So with my Thompson brandished firmly in my hands, I turned around the corner and started walking faster towards them, who were still loading what they could onto the truck, so they took no notice of me... I walked closer and closer, aiming to confront their officer, who was wearing a red beret and had his back turned to me... I could hear their voices, I was just several feet away from the man... When suddenly, I couldn't breathe well enough anymore. As I still held my Thompson, I grabbed my throat with my other hand, as I felt myself choking on my own blood, further shortening my breath... And I collapsed right there.

This finally drew the commotion of the British soldiers, who reacted with surprise to my presence, "Whoa," one British soldier said, "It's a bloody Jerry."

"Keep your guns on him, chaps," the other soldier said, "Make sure he doesn't try anything funny."

"I don't think we have to worry about that," the first soldier said, "He doesn't look too good."

I turned myself onto my back, holding my throat with both hands, still trying to breath, which was getting harder and harder to do as more blood gurgled in my throat... I started choking and spitting blood out of my mouth, and for some reason, this caused the British soldiers to change their suspicions into concern.

"...He's dying," the second soldier said as he turned to his officer, "What should we do with him, Captain?"

I then looked up as the British officer stood forward. He was a rather thick set and strong looking individual, who looked to be in his late thirties, but his most prominent feature that I remember was that full curved horseshoe mustache on his face.

"Captain Price, sir?" the second soldier asked, waiting for an answer.

"...Just keep loading our supplies on the truck," Price told the soldier, "I'll see to him," As the first and second British soldiers followed their Captain's orders, Price turned to the third soldier and spoke, "...Davis, tend to him, he might have something important on him."

The soldiers named Price and Davis came over and knelt down to me, with Davis looking me over to check my wound. As he made an observatory check up, Price asked Davis, "...How's he doing, John?"

Davis turned to Price, having a hopeless look, "...No good, Jack," Davis said quietly, "...He's a goner."

Price looked at me with a bit of solace, then said to Davis, "Go help the others... I'll be along in a bit." With that, Davis stood up and walked back over to help the other two with supplies.

Price stayed where he was, by my side, and he looked at me with a sudden smile as he said with friendly politeness, "Well... Good morning there, Jerry," ...Was he actually having a conversation with me... Price took out his canteen and as he placed his hand under the back of my head and lifted my head up, he brought the canteen to my mouth to give me some water to drink, not that it would do any good, but it was really refreshing. Price then looked up at the sunny sky, which actually looked radiantly gorgeous, and he felt that way too as he spoke, "My, we have quite a lovely day for this, you know," then he looked at me and continued, "I'll hand it to you, you boys did a bloody fine job taking this town... It won't stay that way for long, so you should bask in your victory while you still have the chance."

I still knew he was a soldier of the enemy, the army we were fighting against... But as I looked at his face, and the way he spoke to me so calmly, for some reason, I no longer saw an enemy... I just saw a simple man, a friendly, trustworthy man, talking to me as if we were having a normal conversation that those have on the sidewalk...

"...Now ...If you have something to say, I'd be inclined to listen," Price continued. Normally, I wouldn't share anything with them... They were the enemy... But as I looked at this man, I just didn't see him that way anymore... He didn't look like some one trying to destroy my country, just trying to get rid of Hitler, and in my last moments, I started letting go of my hatred for the British... And that felt so relaxing.

Since he was listening, I felt I could trust him enough to share one last thing with him. I coughed and gurgled with the blood in my throat, choking me as I tried to breath as I looked at what was still in my hand, that page from the brown book. I managed to get a glimpse of what was on it... Some writing next to a drawing that looked like some type of rocket... I wouldn't have time to figure it out, but he could for he... So I slowly raised the paper to him, with the man gently taking it from me with a pleased smile.

But I also had one last thing for him, and I weakly grabbed his arm to keep his attention, and with a final breath, speaking through a raspy bloodied voice, I finally spoke, "...Hers... Hershing... Hershing..."

Price looked at me with a great sympathetic smile as he spoke calmly, "...Okay... Okay, thank you... If you want now, you can rest if you like."

 _...And that was it... My final moment had me offer a weak smile to the man. I couldn't breath at all anymore, and I now felt very weak... But I was happy anyways... I decided the Limeys weren't so bad after all... And as my eyes closed, I think that was when I went to sleep..._


	6. M-2: Bloody Tarawa - Pt 1

_And that was the end of it... The end of the beginning of this war... The end of Germany's successes, like it just ended right there... The German soldier, Heinrich Schifler, of the Afrika Korps, despite his loyalties, wanted to do truly great things with his life... To save others from the persecution of his own government... Even as he knew whether such an idea was achievable or not... But instead, he just died, right there, in the deserts of Tunisia..._

 _While the Russians had halted the German offensive at Stalingrad, and they would be mostly responsible for the Third Reich's collapse, the victories at El Alamein and Tunisia became a symbol to the Western allies that the Axis moment of shining triumph... Had passed... War was raging, not only in Europe and Africa, but very much in Asia as well. The war had started there when Japan invaded China and further built its empire after the Pearl Harbor raid... And while Russia would destroy most of Germany's military might and ultimately crush the Third Reich by capturing Berlin, the United States was on the path to do the same to the Empire of Japan._

* * *

 _...I had been fighting in this war against Japan from the beginning, as a U.S. Marine. I had been in much vicious fighting on these islands of jungle, trees and sand in the Pacific... And already, the Imperial Japanese proved themselves to be a very cruel adversary, killing and torturing the helpless in such a bloody, merciless fashion of savagery... So in return, we Americans fought very fiercely against them, and even inflicted merciless ruthlessness on them... And I'm glad... The Imperial Japanese are evil, they're cruel, brutal sadists... They deserve every ounce of cruelty inflicted on them... And more... Basically, the Imperial Japanese Military have made themselves into the Nazis of Japan... and Japan should be rid of them... I've known their evil when Japan made their cowardly attack on Pearl Harbor, even back when they committed their massacre at Nanking... They have no honor.  
_

 _Eventually, I was hand picked to participate in the raid on Makin island, along with some other marines, like my commanders and close friends, Sergeant Tom Sullivan and Corporal John Roebuck... In a fierce skirmish, we successfully destroyed the enemy supply base and eliminated the Japanese garrison on Makin, before we headed back to keep fighting at Guadalcanal._

 _There, Sullivan and I were assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, while Roebuck remained with the 1st Marines. Immediately, we met a young marine of the 2nd Division, a Private Edric Henderson... We sometimes called him Eddie... Sullivan, Henderson and I kept fighting in fierce skirmishes at Guadalcanal, fighting in vicious battles to hold Edson's Ridge and defend Henderson Field. Edric Henderson, while a rather silent person, was shown to be a very brave and ferocious fighter, as he rescued both Sullivan and I from an enemy tank just before destroying two Jap machine gun nests with his rifle... Once that battle at Henderson Field ended, Edric, Tom and I became close friends... Hell, we ourselves even called the air strip "Edric's Field" for his heroism._

 _After that, we kept fighting at Guadalcanal, eliminating enemy infantry in Carlson's Patrol, alongside a local scout known as 'David'. We met Roebuck again during that patrol, who we haven't seen since we held off Jap infantry in that skirmish at the Tenaru, and we even met his new subordinate on the patrol... a Private Erik Polonsky... He was a young one, about 16, and while he was a very good soldier, he was also very nervous and even showed mercy to the enemy._

 _Sometime later, after Guadalcanal, Henderson, Sullivan and I went with the 2nd Marine Division to take the Gilbert and Marshall islands, and then head for the Marianas... While Roebuck and Polonsky would go on to take Cape Gloucester... It wouldn't be until late 1944, at Peleliu, that Sullivan and I would see Roebuck and Polonsky again when we transferred back to the 1st Marines..._

 _...The time between Guadalcanal and Peleliu, that time had changed several things... I'll always remember Edric's service and friendship, and I can't forget how time and war changed Polonsky... But along with my memories, one thing that would never change, would be my mission... To win... Despite how cruel and evil the Imperial Japanese Military is, I'm not afraid of them... I will fight them to the death, to crush the enemy... To win this war... For my friends, my family... My lover, Emily..._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Private Chris Miller_

 _American marine of the United States Marine Corps_

* * *

 _Tarawa Atoll, the major Japanese base in the Gilbert Islands. We've been using this 'island hopping' strategy, taking some islands that would lead us directly to Japan, while leaving some other enemy bases to wither away on the vine, while destroying Japanese shipping lanes to deny them any more supplies... It may not be fighting fair, but the Japanese hardly ever fought fair in China and the Philippines, so to Hell with them... This base here at Tarawa, we're on our way to seize it, all from the 5,000 strong Japanese force stationed there, much different than my raid on Makin a year earlier... But we've all seen our fair share of hard fighting... Yeah, we're ready to fight again._

 **'Bloody Tarawa'  
**

 **Tarawa Atoll, South Pacific**

 **November 20, 1943**

 **Pvt. Edric Henderson**

 **2nd Marine Division**

I, Edric Henderson, stood on the deck of a US Navy ship, an LST, as I gazed across the vast, shimmering blue seas between me and the sandy island of Betio of Tarawa Atoll. This small island of nothing but sand and some trees housed the primary Japanese garrison in the whole atoll... And we were heading right for it... Brass decided that the best way to take the island was total surprise, and that meant no softening of the Japanese defenses with artillery or air strikes whatsoever... All we got was a last minute preliminary bombardment, and I doubt that did as much good, so I was left to worry a little bit.

Shells still blazed from the guns of the _Colorado_ and the _Maryland_ , striking the island with fiery fury, and hoping to do as much damage as possible before we had to go in. While fire raked the island from our shells, I saw another Marine. I could only see his back as he stood at the rail lining the vessel and gazed at the island, getting a bit excited at the shells striking the enemy.

"Yes! Hah! Take that, you bastards!" the Marine shouted out towards the island, which was followed with the man placing his hand on my shoulder and then turned his face to show himself as Private Chris Miller, my close comrade in battle. He had a slim, athletic physique that was slightly muscular, and stood six feet tall. He had a firm diamond shaped face with deep light brown eyes and short dark brown hair that presented swept bangs, and on his face, he had a full mustache with a small beard to go with it. He wore a typical light green camouflaged Marine uniform with his sleeves rolled up, complete with a supply belt and a back pack. "You see that," Miller continued to me, "We're killing 'em, Eddie... We're killing those Jap bastards!"

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Chris," came another voice from behind, a tough, slightly raspy voice that I recognized, for when I turned around to face him, I saw it belonging to Sergeant Thomas Sullivan, my squad leader. He had a thin, yet rounded face with a full mustache, and while he was only twenty eight right now, his dark brown hair was shaped in a somewhat receding peaked cut. He had a strong build that was just slightly shorter than that of Miller, adorned in a camouflaged marine uniform with the sleeves rolled up. "It's better to save that excitement for when we land," Sullivan continued with, "The Japanese have a hard defense on the island."

"Well, that's what I'm here for," Miller said, putting on his camouflaged M1 helmet and brandishing his Thompson gun, "I even bet we'll take this fucking sand strip in just two days."

"That's what I like to hear, Miller," Sullivan said, "Now follow me to the landing craft, we're leaving shortly... And be careful, look for me once we land."

"Come on, Henderson... Shouldn't keep Tojo waiting." Miller said, and then I followed Miller and Sullivan below the deck to get to the area keeping the LVTs. I stepped into one LVT with Miller, Sullivan and five or six other Marines, and I stayed near the front with my two comrades, near the em placed 30 Cal machine guns. I could still hear the loud banging sounds of shells firing and machine guns blazing outside the walls of the LST.

"Be ready for anything, Marines," Sullivan said out to all the Marines in the craft, including Miller and I, "The Tojos have artillery, and a God damned field headquarters... They're our primary targets."

"And five thousand of those fucking Jap pricks," Miller said, "Lying in wait in pillboxes and trenches."

"Miller's right," Sullivan said, "The Japanese have a tight hold here, but we're Marines! Our boys in the Army just pushed the Krauts out of Africa... So let's kick the Japs out of these islands!"

This resulted in a resounding cheer from the occupants of the LVT, who showed the same excitement at our next mission as Miller showed. Most of the men in my boat had hardly seen combat yet, but for some reason, they seemed enthusiastic... They were probably following after Miller, who managed to be just as excited even though he had seen his share of war well enough on Makin and Guadalcanal. I heard some whirring emitting from the front of the boat... And I knew that meant we were ready for what we were so excited for.

Miller held onto his Thompson while Sullivan slung his Thompson sub machine gun over his shoulder and held his M1897 trench gun firmly in his hands. Soon, the whirring of machinery lead to the bright ray of sun flashing before us as the bay doors opened and the launch ramp dropped... That's when our LVT slid out of the LST ship and sailed on wards to the piece of sand known as Betio.

A midst the bright sun and shiny seas, there were ships surrounding us, pounding the island with shells while other LVTs and Higgin's boats sailed forwards to drop off the Marines selected to take the island. But the Japanese were not going to give the Atoll up so easily, and they shot back with artillery shells and machine gun fire from bunkers on the beaches. As we sailed forwards, a Higgin's boat near us was hit by a Japanese artillery shell, from the right side of the beach.

"Shit," Miller shouted, "Japanese artillery!"

"Fuck," Sullivan said, then turned to the others, "...Keep it together, men! We're nearly there!"

Our gunner on the 30. Cal blazed some rounds at the beach, but suddenly, a bullet sailed from the sky and bloodily sliced through his head, tearing off some flesh and brain... A bullet that was fired overhead by some soaring planes up ahead, colored white and bearing the red sun on the wings.

"Shit, Jap Zeroes!" Sullivan warned, "Henderson, get on that gun and shoot those bastards to pieces!"

Following his order, I raced over to the 30. Cal and grabbed hold of its trigger, aiming it towards the sky that held a squadron of the enemy planes. As they swerved around, I blazed the machine gun at them, riddling the sky with bullets as I moved to get a proper aim on them. I fired some rounds again and struck one of them, maybe two, on the sides, damaging them a bit. However, a couple others swerved back and rained some fire that blew apart another Higgin's Boat while the Japanese artillery fired again and struck an LVT.

"Shit," Miller said, "Fucking Jap artillery hit two more LVTs!"

"How the Hell we gonna get to that fucking beach?!" a Marine said.

"We'll get there," Sullivan said, "Henderson, nail those Zeroes, or they'll rip us to shreds!"

I kept firing more gunfire at the sky, aiming at the tail of one plane. When I fired, I managed to hit it well enough that it spiraled out of control, flying into the water. I aimed at another plane and shot off one of its wings, causing to burst into flames, which were put out when it crashed into the ocean.

"Yeah, that's it, Henderson," a Marine said with enthusiasm, "Shoot those lousy Japs out of the sky!"

"Keep it up!" Sullivan said.

I aimed for another and fired, managing to quickly shoot another one to pieces as it burst into flames from riddling bullets. These Zeroes weren't hard to strike down, as they were lightly armored and caught fire easily. But they could still pack a punch, and I fired the 30. Cal furiously to shoot the remaining Zeroes.

"Just a couple God damned Zekes left, Henderson," Sullivan said, "Keep shooting!"

"Shoot 'em all down!" a Marine shouted.

I blazed some more 30. Cal bullets into the skies, aiming at another Zero as it swerved back. It tried to make its way to safety, but my bullets caught up to it first, raking it to fiery shreds. The last plane turned around and started racing right towards me... That's when I fired some rounds right at the pilot and struck it down, causing it to spiral in flames into the seas.

"Japanese planes are gone, Sullivan," Miller said, "Great work, Eddie!"

"Driver, take us in." Sullivan ordered to the LVT driver.

"Let's get to that beach!" Miller said, excited again.

The enemy artillery on the island still struck back, trying desperately to fend off the attackers. Two more LVTs were destroyed by shells, but that did not stop the others, and the Marines pushed forward in their boats with even more determined drive... However, Miller and Sullivan looked over and saw another problem, mines, laced into the coral before us.

"Shit," Miller said, "There's fucking Jap mines!"

"Henderson," Sullivan ordered, "The fuckers planted mines in the coral... Strike 'em down!"

As ordered, I aimed towards the watery coral and searched for each mine in our path, blazing several rounds at each explosive and sending it bursting in a fiery explosion. I fired to the right and destroyed two more mines, then blazed to the left and took out another. As I burst apart one more, I almost didn't see the one we were closing up on, almost clinking with the craft... Luckily, a wave rocked the boat, obscuring my aim, but allowing my vision to catch the mine, and then shooting it to pieces. The burst from that one was close enough that it hit the side of the boat, not enough to really damage it, but still jerking us back and forth while spouting a geyser of water onto the boat. Still, we were okay, and I turned around and shot apart three more mines with the 30. Cal... Thus clearing away our path to the island.

The American boats drove further towards the island, and once getting close enough, the ramp doors opened and Marines started pouring out of the boats to wade in towards the shore. Our LVT closed in near the shore as well... But somewhere in the water, we stopped.

"Fuck!" a Marine, shouted, "What the Hell's going on?!"

Answering the Marine's demand, Miller looked over the side of the boat and found the problem... The craft was stuck on some coral, an immense coral that ringed the entire island... It was an Atoll, after all.

"Shit," Miller said, "We're stuck in the fucking coral!"

"That coral reef surrounds the whole island, we're not going anywhere here," Sullivan said, then turned to the driver, "Shit... Drop the ramp, all of you out now!"

With that, I slung my M1 Garand rifle over my shoulder and brandished my Thompson as the ramp dropped, and while the other Marines were a bit nervous now, they still maintained their enthusiasm. "I'm gonna kill those Japanese fuckers!" one Marine said with excitement and determined anger.

With the ramp dropped behind us, we all scurried out of the LVT as Sullivan hurried us along. I found myself jumping into water that reached up to my chest, and once I emerged from the LVT, I saw absolute chaos... Marines were struggling as they slowly waded through the thick choppy waters and the sharp coral to reach the sandy shore... And even then, enemy pillboxes rained withering gunfire down on them as they advanced. Immense rapid machine gun fire was bloodily cutting down numerous Marines in the sand and water, with powerful bullets from Type 99 machine guns slicing and tearing off limbs of Marines in a bloody display of gore, leaving them to drown in those choppy and blood red soaked waters.

The Marines pressed forward, struggling past the obstacles to reach the beachhead... And while many seemed to be scared, they were still highly determined... That gave us our great bravery to fight the Japanese forces... As others tried to wade ashore, numerous Marines held cover by beach obstacles and fired their guns at the Japanese pillboxes and soldiers, some managing to strike several enemies down. But Japanese machine gun fire and artillery shells kept raining on the Marines as they approached the beach, bloodily riddling numerous friendlies with bullets and violently tearing off limbs and flesh. Several more Marines were cut down by bullets, which ripped off the legs of one of them, while an artillery shell crashed down on another couple. I even saw as one who had his head severed from his neck by a grenade, just before an arm floated past me, painting a trail of blood from behind in the water... But all I could hear were bullets, explosions and constant screaming.

Still, the Marines pushed on with great determined bravery, firing their guns back and shooting a few more enemies down as the writhing and screaming kept up. While the fiery intense chaos went on, I emerged from my cover behind the LVT and saw a relieving site to my right... Miller was at a beach obstacle, just as he turned to see me.

"Shit, Henderson," Miller said, firmly holding his Thompson, "Get over here!"

After listening to him, I immediately started swimming over towards his position. It was only a short distance away and was not as noticeable, so it seemed safe enough, so I kept swimming until I reached my friend's position.

"Sullivan's over by that wrecked LVT, closer to the beach," Miller said, pointing over to Sullivan's position, which I could see was a distance away, "I'll lead you to him... Use these obstacles for cover from those Jap machine guns and move only when I say so... Ready?!"

We both waited behind the obstacle as the Japanese machine guns blazed around the beach. As other Marines struggled to wade forwards, the aim of the enemy gunners turned away from us... That's right when Miller said to move, and I followed him as we quickly trudged our way to another obstacle, Just as two more Marines were literally blown to fleshy pieces by an artillery shell. He told me to wait as the enemy gunners aimed back and shot around our position, striking down several Marines, riddling them with bullets and bloodily ripping off the limbs of a couple of them.

"Shit," a Marine said as he struggled ashore, "The beach is a fucking blood bath!"

"Keep moving!" another Marine ordered, "Strike the beach!"

The gunner blazed a few more rounds at our position, just before turning back around to fire in another direction, cutting a few more Marines to bloody pieces. Taking this opportunity, Miller and I rushed forwards, getting a greater distance, as we took cover behind another obstacle closer to the beach. Miller held me back as the enemy gunner returned his aim to fire back around our position. The bullets sliced through the water and tore off a few pieces of the obstacle, but it eventually went away to find another target. As the enemy gunner fired on other areas and riddled a couple more Marines into pools of blood in the water, Miller ordered me on, and I followed him through the water to get closer to the shore, the water getting more shallow now.

"Shit, we're being cut up here!" one Marine shouted, wading ashore.

"Fire on those damned bunkers!" another Marine ordered.

"Move onto the beach!" a third Marine said.

I managed to reach another obstacle, but found Miller trapped behind a separate one as the guns came back. I took out my M1 Garand and then aimed and fired some rounds at the Japanese bunkers, pinning the gunners down. This cover fire enabled Miller to move to an obstacle, just a couple meters from Sullivan's position, and I followed him over towards it. One of the gunners noticed my movement and began firing over towards me, nearly raking me with rounds... But before he could, I jumped and landed into the safety behind the obstacle with Miller as the bullets just barely got me and whistled by. After some more waiting, the Japanese gunners changed their aim again and we could finally run over to Sullivan's position, taking cover with him behind the wrecked LVT in water just only reaching our ankles and very near the sandy shoreline.

As several more Marines were cut down by gunfire, most of the others managed to reach cover by beach obstacles close to the sand. Sullivan fired some Trench gun rounds at the Japanese bunkers to cover the advance of the Marines, just as he turned to both Miller and me.

"Miller, Henderson," Sullivan began, "This shit is a fucking mess here! Tojo has bunkers and nests lining the tree line, and the whole beach is crawling with Jap infantry... We need to clear out every bunker, and eliminate those machine gun nests!"

"Shit," Miller said, "Jap machine guns are fucking ripping them to pieces!"

"They'll hold out and get through," Sullivan said, "If we act fast enough... Once we clear the Japanese defenses on the beach, we make our way to that artillery! Henderson, Miller, fire on those damn bunkers to cover our men!"

"I'm ready when you are!" Miller said.

"All of you ready?!" Sullivan said, as he held his Trench gun and I brandished my Thompson gun, while Miller prepared his own Thompson, then came the shout from the Sergeant, "Open fire!"

Immediately, Sullivan, Miller and I all aimed our guns and fired hails of gunfire at the Japanese defenses, blazing relentless rounds at the bunkers and striking down multiple Japanese soldiers in the tree line. I fired a hail of Thompson fire at the Japanese defenses, pinning them down, as other Marines fired their guns at the enemy beach line as well. Several more Marines were cut down by enemy machine gun fire, but the Marines fired back and struck some of the Japanese soldiers down.

"Give them some fucking covering fire, Eddie!" Miller said, firing his Thompson gun relentlessly at the Japanese defenses, and gunning several enemies in the tree line down.

I fired some more Thompson shots and shot five Japanese soldiers in the tree line, while also pinning down the gunners in two bunkers. The enemy machine guns kept blazing intense fire on the advancing Marines, cutting multiple soldiers to bloody, gory pieces, tearing off limbs and leaving pouring spills of blood staining the sand like red wine would. However, the Americans kept pushing forwards, as other Marines kept firing hails of gunfire at the Japanese defenses, gunning several more Japanese soldiers down.

Miller shot down a few more enemies as Sullivan nailed a couple with Trench gun bullets, and after I managed to shoot down two more enemies, Sullivan ordered, "Get to those trees on the beach, left side!" then I followed him and Miller as we rushed to take cover behind two palm trees on the beach, just as an artillery shell fired down onto a couple Marines, tearing off their legs and arms and leaving them writhing and screaming in pain while blood poured from their wounds into a large puddle. One of them started looking around in the sand, almost emotionless even as he stood there without his arm, then he picked up what looked to be that arm, blood dripping from the ripped flesh... It was very chaotic, and once we reached the trees, we saw some more Japanese soldiers in the tree line just behind the line of bunkers come in and fire down onto the friendly positions on the beach.

"Shit," Miller said, "Fucking Jap infantry in the trees!"

"Miller, Henderson... Nail those bastards!" Sullivan shouted.

Immediately, Miller, Sullivan and I fired immense gunfire at the Japanese soldiers and defenses, cutting multiple enemies down. I shot six soldiers as Miller fired his Thompson and shot several others. Sullivan gunned down a couple while I nailed another two with Thompson shots. Miller shot a few more with Thompson fire as Sullivan shot a few others... And apparently, this event caused the other Marines to charge the beach with even more fearless aggression and determination.

"Move up," a Marine ordered, "Take the Beach!"

"Let's get those Jap bastards!" another Marine shouted excitedly.

With enthusiasm, the Marines rushed the beach, with many of them taking cover by the obstacles and wrecked objects on the beach, almost forming an offensive line of Marines on the sand. Here, the Marines were firing their guns furiously at the Japanese defenses, striking bunkers and enemy soldiers with bullets. Vicious fighting erupted as the two lines of soldiers kept firing at one another, with the line of Marines firing more intense gunfire that shot down numerous Japanese soldiers at their defensive tree line.

While the intensely fierce battle raged on the beach with the two sides firing hails of immense gunfire at one another, Miller and I kept firing more gunfire of our own at Japanese defenses, hitting multiple soldiers as Sullivan blazed some covering fire. I shot five Japanese while Miller gunned several more down, just as an enemy shell dropped down on a couple of Marines on the beach, tearing off the legs and an arm of one while blowing off the head of another, as well as ripping open his torso, exposing the flesh and bone while the other Marine slowly crawled away with his one arm, screaming.

"Fuck," a Marine shouted, "Son of a bitch!"

"Nail every one of these bastards!" another Marine demanded.

After several more Marines were shot down, the Americans kept blazing more intense gunfire at the Japanese defenses, furiously shooting multiple enemies down. Miller gunned a few others down as I shot two more, just while Sullivan began firing on the bunkers.

"Henderson, fire on those bunkers," Sullivan ordered to me, "It'll cover those men by that wreckage to get over here with us... They can help us clear the beach!"

I looked over and saw a whole platoon of Marines, taking cover behind a wrecked Higgin's boat as the line of Marines at the beach kept firing more intense gunfire at the Japanese defenses, relentlessly gunning numerous Japanese down with slicing bullets ripping bloody flesh off the enemy soldiers. Several more Marines at the line were shot, bloodily riddled with bullets as they attempted to charge the beach. Sullivan and I aimed and fired our guns at the bunkers, pinning them down with bursts... Soon after, the platoon at the Higgin's boat started rushing past the chaos over to us, reaching our position and holding their cover at the trees with us.

"Shit," Miller said, "Japanese soldiers are coming onto the beach!"

Sullivan looked up and saw Japanese soldiers indeed coming onto the beach, racing towards their position. "Everyone," Sullivan said, "Nail those fuckers!"

With this, Miller, Sullivan and I were firing our guns at the Japanese soldiers on the beach, with the other Marines at our position also blazing fire at them. Our immense gunfire shot multiple soldiers as I gunned down several with Thompson fire. Some of them fired back, or tried to at least, with Arisaka rifles, but our shots overwhelmed them... Which resulted in another event.

"Tenno Heika Banzai!" some of the Japanese started shouting, and several of them raised their gleaming and sharp long bayonets and charged forward... Right to us.

"Banzai charge!" Miller shouted, "Nail these fucking Jap bastards!"

Miller and I fired some shots that gunned down a few of the chargers, while a couple more were shot by a few of the other Marines with us. Some Japanese stayed back and kept firing their rifles, but Miller and I fired intense shots and gunned several down as a few more charged.

"Die already!" a Marine shouted angrily.

"Burn in Hell!" another friendly shouted, just as mad.

We kept blazing shots and gunned down a few remaining chargers, with only several more Japanese soldiers remaining to blaze Arisaka rounds. A couple Marines were hit by bullets, but Miller, Sullivan and I fired some shots back and wiped out the remaining enemy soldiers on the beach.

"That's it!" Sullivan said, "Move forward and clear out every bunker! Watch for any troops in the sand!"

"Let's get this fucking island!" Miller shouted excitedly, rushing forwards to engage the bunkers, intent on wiping them all off the beach.

I moved on with them, and I counted four bunkers, at least, on the beach. While most of the Marines were still at the line of wreckage on the beach, blazing rounds at the enemy defenses, I moved with Miller, Sullivan and the platoon we rescued to take each bunker. I approached the side of the first bunker, first firing some shots to eliminate a couple enemies guarding it, then aiming and blazing rounds into the bunker window to take out the gunner and two other occupants.

"Eliminate every bunker, Eddie," Miller said, "Take them out!"

I gunned down a couple more enemies guarding the next bunker, and then Miller and I fired gunshots that struck down a few Japanese in the tree line, while Sullivan managed to shoot the gunners from the second bunker. A few more Japanese soldiers appeared on the beach, but I aimed and shot them all down with Thompson fire, then went up to the second bunker and razed the remaining occupants. With the other Marines with us firing rounds at Japanese soldiers on the beach and tree line, I hurried up with Miller and Sullivan to the next bunker, but several more Japanese appeared on the beach, carrying Arisaka rifles and Type 100 guns. In a fierce firefight, a couple Marines were raked down by Type 100 bullets, but a couple other Marines fired some shots back and gunned a few enemies down as Miller, Sullivan and I fired rounds and raked the rest to the ground, riddling them with bullets. After shooting two more enemies, I ran up to the third bunker, readied a Mk. 2 grenade, and threw it into the bunker, the blast decimating the occupants, ripping off their limbs and leaving them in a pool of splattered blood.

"That's it, Henderson," Miller said, jubilant, "Just one Japanese bunker left, keep it up!"

Miller shot a few more enemy soldiers as Sullivan raked a couple others with Trench gun rounds. I gunned four more Japanese soldiers down and then moved up to the last bunker... But just I heard Sullivan shout, "Henderson, watch out!"

That's when I saw a large tree get struck by a shell and start lumbering down towards me... Luckily, I jumped out of the way quickly before it crashed down. Miller, Sullivan and I rushed up next to it and peered over, seeing a Marine with a M2 Flamethrower hiding behind a crate just near the last bunker.

"You see that flamethrower," Sullivan said, "Cover him so he can reach the bunker!"

"I'm on it!" Miller said. With that I fired Thompson shots at Japanese soldiers in the tree line as Miller and Sullivan fired covering shots as well. We raked several Japanese soldiers with bullets, and I shot five in a firefight, then aiming and gunning two more down to the left and another two to the right. Soon, as we kept blazing cover rounds, the flamethrower operator found that he was clear and took the chance to move up, reaching the bunker. Once he was in range, he aimed his flame thrower and blazed an immense spray of fire into the bunker, incinerating the Japanese soldiers inside. The operator spewed a couple more bursts that left the bunker absolutely ablaze... And the couple Japanese soldiers inside rushed out, engulfed in flames and burning to death, writhing and screaming.

"Yeah," a Marine said, "Burn, you little bastards!"

"Bunkers are cleared out," Sullivan said, "Good work, Eddie!" We all kept firing our guns at remaining Japanese soldiers in the tree line, and though several more Marines were raked by rounds from Arisaka and Type 100 guns, friendly rifles gunned many more Japanese soldiers down, wiping the remaining enemy presence out... And clearing our way to move further, "Everyone, move into the trench system!" Sullivan ordered.

"Clear them out of these trenches!" Miller ordered as he and I moved past the beach to enter the trench system with Sullivan. As we moved up into the trenches, suddenly, a Marine was shot dead by a lone bullet, which garnered Miller's attention to the assailant responsible.

"Shit, Jap snipers," Miller noticed, "In the trees! Bring them down!"

With this, I took out my M1 Garand rifle and aimed it at the trees, finding one Japanese sniper. Taking aim, I quickly shot the sniper out of the tree before seeing another sniper in a different tree. I just managed to jump out of the way before he fired and dodge his shot, just before I took aim and shot him down.

Some Japanese soldiers appeared in the trees, so Miller aimed his Thompson and fired some gunfire that shot several enemies as Sullivan gunned down a few others. I aimed and shot two enemies down, then aimed to the left to shoot another two. I shot four more Japanese soldiers in the trees and then turned back to the others, entering into the trench system.

"Japs!" a Marine shouted, "In the trenches!"

I switched out for my Thompson again as I looked and saw some Japanese troops entering into a separate trench just some meters across from the one us Marines were occupying, forming a line of soldiers to launch a defense. In response, the Marines formed their own infantry line in our trench and fired their guns at the opposing Japanese, the line of Marines firing immense hails of gunfire that shot numerous Japanese soldiers down as the enemies attempted to rush into the trenches.

A vicious battle erupted as infantry in our two trench lines were firing intense rifle and machine gun rounds across at one another, trying to shoot each other down, with bullets piercing and splintering through the sand mounds and wooden crates and barricades.

"I'll kill all you fucking Jap bastards!" Miller said, firing his Thompson gun relentlessly and gunning six Japanese soldiers down with intense gunfire in the fierce fighting.

Miller and Sullivan kept firing shots at Japanese positions, striking several enemies down. In the fierce skirmish, I fired intense Thompson fire and shot five Japanese soldiers in the trench, then I aimed to the right and gunned down another two enemies.

"Die in Hell!" a Marine said to the enemy.

"Come on, you Jap cowards!" another Marine shouted, firing his gun.

The intense fighting raged even more fiercely, as the Marines and the Japanese kept firing immense gunfire at each other from their trench lines. With cover from em placed 30 cal. guns on the beach, the Marines blazed rapid fire from M1 Garand and B.A.R. rifles and Thompson sub machine guns that shot numerous Japanese down as the enemy Arisaka rifles, Type 100 and Type 99 machine guns raked several friendlies down in return. Sullivan managed to shoot a couple down while Miller nailed a few others with rifle shots, just as the Japanese returned fire and struck a few Marines down. I gunned two enemies down, then I fired some more intense Thompson fire and shot six Japanese soldiers a midst the vicious skirmish, just before aiming to the left and gunning down another two.

The Marines kept fighting fiercely, firing more relentless gunfire that shot multiple Japanese down. Friendly soldiers fired relentless and powerfully intense gunfire that bloodily pierced and ripped the flesh of the enemy, brutally tearing off limbs of the Japanese soldiers, leaving them to die in pools of blood... But we were used to that by now, at least me and my friends were... I fired some more Thompson fire and shot five more Japanese soldiers trying to cross into the enemy trench, just as enemy rounds raked several friendlies. However, after more fighting, the Marines fired more shots and gunned numerous Japanese soldiers down... The enemy defense was beginning to greatly weaken, with only a few remaining enemies left.

After some more fighting, Miller and Sullivan shot a few enemies as they crossed into the Japanese trench while I gunned down two more Japanese. Eventually, a 30 Cal gun was moved up and began firing relentlessly onto the Japanese trench line, ripping the sand mound to pieces. The soldiers in the trench attempted to get their aim again, but with the machine guns firing furiously on their positions, they found themselves stuck... And they suddenly started making a surprising move.

One enemy soldier in the opposing trench poked his head out, his hands raised in the air as he spoke in Japanese, asking for mercy... But one Marine, who didn't take the time to know that the soldier was surrendering, raised his rifle and shot him down... But even this didn't deter the remaining four Japanese soldiers to raise their hands up in surrender, trying to shout a much clearer message not to shoot on them.

"Sullivan, they're surrendering." Miller said, taking notice to the event as the chaos started dying down.

"Cease fire!" Sullivan ordered, and the Marines quickly held their fire as they started to realize the enemy was giving up, that's when Sullivan said, "Up and over Marines, take 'em prisoner."

With that, I followed the Marines as we jumped out of the trenches, with some of them heading over toward the enemy trench to apprehend the surrendering Japanese soldiers.

"All of you get down now," Sullivan ordered firmly to the surrendering enemies, then turned to the other Marines, saying, "Be careful, it could be a trick, just like on Guadalcanal."

"You try anything and you're dead!" a Marine shouted at a soldier he was apprehending, but so far, the surrendering soldiers just seemed to be complying. Sullivan, Miller and I passed on with several other Marines to the next target while the enemies who gave up were taken away.

"There's more Japanese soldiers up ahead," Miller stated, "In the trenches and buildings."

"Clear them out of the way," Sullivan ordered, "And watch the trees."

Taking out my Garand rifle again, we moved forwards to the rest of the enemy network, but suddenly, a surprise jumped from the nearby trees to the left, Banzai chargers, heading right for us.

"Shit," Miller said, "They're charging!"

"Bring 'em down!" Sullivan demanded. Immediately, I fired some shots that took out a charger as Miller and Sullivan gunned down another. Suddenly, that's when a third one came right towards me from the left, and with a swipe from his rifle, he knocked my own weapon out of my hands just before lunging his sharp sword bayonet towards my torso... But with my quick steps, I jumped out of the way as he tried to stab, and that's when I grabbed hold of his rifle while he drew back. I struggled briefly, yet fiercely with the charger over the Arisaka rifle, the advantage becoming mine as I knocked the charger back with his rifle's stock... And with the rifle and its sword now in my hands, I grasped it and drove the Arisaka blade right into the charger's stomach, bringing him down for good as blood poured from his wound... And with the threat over, I picked up my rifle and continued onward.

A couple more chargers came at us from the right, but I aimed and shot one down as Sullivan blazed some rounds that took down the other. Several Japanese soldiers emerged near the trees to the right, blazing some rounds, but Miller fired his Thompson gun at the enemies in the trees, raking the position with rapid fire that shot a few of the enemies down as I aimed and gunned down another couple Japanese in the trees to the right. Sullivan shot down two more Japanese soldiers coming onto the sandy ground and then we kept on moving.

After I shot down a few more Japanese soldiers, we came upon a large field lined with trees, huts and trenches that were filled with Japanese soldiers armed with rifles or setting up type 92 machine guns.

"Clear the scum from the trenches!" Sullivan ordered rather furiously.

I brandished my Thompson in hand and, with numerous other Marines, we then all rushed forwards towards the enemy defenses, firing intense gunfire at the Japanese forces in the trenches and buildings. Fierce fighting ensued as the Marines shot down numerous Japanese soldiers, but the enemy returned some fire back and struck down several friendlies, but just as I gunned a few Japanese down with my Thompson gun.

Miller fired some Thompson fire and shot several Japanese soldiers in a trench, and then aimed and gunned down a couple others in a building. Sullivan blazed some cover fire as I fired some more shots that gunned four enemies down, then Sullivan raked a few more Japanese to the ground in a pool of blood. Miller fired some covering shots as I shot down two Japanese soldiers by a tree, then gunned two others down near a building. A few more Marines were struck down by enemy machine gun fire, but the Marines took cover behind several obstacles and barricades, firing some shots back that further struck many more Japanese soldiers down.

With my Thompson, I fired some intense gunfire at the Japanese soldiers, gunning multiple enemies down. With Miller and Sullivan blazing covering shots, I fired and shot a few enemies in the trees, then aimed to the left and raked two more by a building, then firing to the left to shoot a couple others in the trench.

Several more Marines were taken down by machine gun fire, but I aimed and shot one of the gunners, then I gunned down a few others in the trenches. The Marines fired immense shots back and raked numerous Japanese down as Miller and Sullivan shot several Japanese soldiers in return.

The vicious fighting kept up as we Marines kept battling enemies away from the trenches, buildings and trees, clearing them out little by little. Marine rifle fire shot several more Japanese soldiers in the battlefield as I fired and gunned down four more Japanese soldiers on the sand, then I aimed and shot several more enemies in the trees and buildings before aiming to the left and shooting two more in a trench.

Miller fired some shots and gunned a few enemies down as Sullivan raked a couple others with Trench gun rounds. A midst still heavy enemy machine gun fire, the Marines kept firing rounds that raked down the Japanese defenses, and mowed the Japanese soldiers to bloody pieces as I shot two more enemies in a building and then gunned down a few others on the sand, just before moving on and taking out my Garand rifle again.

"Move into the trenches!" Sullivan ordered, then he and I jumped into the trench system and started to run through it, coming upon several Japanese soldiers. After evading some Arisaka rounds from behind a stack of crates, then I aimed and gunned down two of the Japanese while Sullivan nailed another with his Trench gun. Two more enemies came into the trench, wielding bayonets, but I furiously rushed at the Japanese soldiers and mercilessly sliced them both down with my knife. After Sullivan shot another soldier in the trench, I just dodged an Arisaka round from a remaining soldier, then I aimed and gunned him down in return.

After some more fierce fighting, the Marines' gunfire cleared away most of the Japanese forces in the field, eliminating resistance in the trees and buildings, forcing the remaining enemies to scurry down a trench, hoping to get to the bunker system as the Marines with us kept firing on them... But it was too late for the enemy, as another squadron of Marines rushed in towards the other end of the trench, firing a merciless hail of M1 Garand rounds at the retreating Japanese soldiers in the trench... I heard countless screams, but I didn't care, even as the Marines kept shooting at them until they were all dead, and still kept shooting at their dead bodies almost with fury.

Sullivan came out of the trench and ran over to the Marines, shouting, "Cease fire, cut it out! That's enough, cease fire!" And with that, the rest of the Marines stopped their shooting, though a few others blasted a couple more rounds into the dead soldiers, a couple even stabbing into them with bayonets.

I walked over with Miller towards Sullivan as the Sergeant was giving out further orders, "All of you continue down the pathway," Sullivan said, "You men spread out and search the buildings! Miller, Henderson, you're with me... Let's take out those Jap guns."

...But suddenly, we heard a faint noise in the distance, almost like a boom sound... And we just barely had enough time to discover what it was... And raining down right towards us.

"Shit, mortars!" A Marine shouted, "Take cover!"

"Fuck, get into the damned trenches!" Sullivan shouted. I rushed down into the trenches with Miller and several other Marines as Sullivan helped two others into our line as well... Then that's when the shells rung around us, blasting sand into the air while Marines rushed to cover in trenches and bunkers.

It was a rather small attack, as only several shells came down, but one shell still managed to strike two Marines, blasting off the head of one and ripping off the legs and one arm of another, causing him to scream and writhe in the sand just as the attack ended.

"Son of a bitch!" Miller said, "Bastards have mortars nearby."

"Trajectory seemed like it came from the North East," Sullivan said, "Okay, we need to take out those mortars first, then we can head towards the artillery... You men, follow me."

I watched as a Corpsman ran over to the brutally injured Marine writhing in the sand, doing what he could to save him, but I wouldn't find out if he could as I had to move with Sullivan and Miller to our new target... Those mortars.

I could only wonder if this was just one of a few other obstacles in our way before we could get to the primary objective of the artillery guns... And possibly their main base, then we could seize the island.


	7. M-2: Bloody Tarawa - Pt 2

As our primary target had to be put on hold, we moved down a pathway towards the secondary objective in the North East, which presented itself as the main necessity that had to be dealt with first... And some men were starting to feel frustration and anger at this situation already.

"I'll burn those filthy Jap fuckers!" Miller said, angry as he and I started running up a pathway with Sullivan and numerous other Marines, leading to a hill.

"Careful, there could be a surprise attack waitin' for us," Sullivan noted, "Be on your absolute guard."

As soon as we passed the hill, we came under ambush by a Japanese machine gun position to the right, covered in grass and blazing rounds that struck two Marines and forcing the rest of us into cover.

"Shit," Miller said, "Machine gun!"

"Henderson," Sullivan called out to me, "Circle around and get to that God damn position, clear those bastards out with your grenades... Miller and I will cover you, wait for my order!" From then on, Sullivan waited for a brief moment as he peered from behind his tree cover with Miller at the enemy position, just before shouting, "Move it, Eddie... Covering fire!"

Miller and Sullivan blazed several covering rounds at the machine gun while I strafed to the left in a curved movement to get to the side of the position, reaching it just before the gunner opened fire again. Once at position, I primed and threw a grenade into the position, resulting in a fiery explosion just a couple seconds later, then I aimed and fired some Garand rounds into the position, finishing off any occupants. Another Japanese soldier came out to take aim at other Marines, but before he could, I charged and cut the enemy down with my knife.

With the position eliminated, we Marines continued up the tree lined hill, firing immense gunfire at Japanese soldiers in the trees and sandy pathways. A few Marines were struck by enemy Arisaka and Type 100 rounds, but I fired some shots and gunned down four Japanese in the trees.

"Shit," Miller said, "There's Japs in the fucking tree lines!"

The Marines on the pathway all fired immense gunfire at the Japanese soldiers in the tree line, gunning numerous enemies down in a fierce skirmish. Miller fired some Thompson fire and shot several Japanese soldiers while Sullivan raked two others with Trench gun shots just as a couple more Marines were struck down.

I shot two more enemies in the trees, and then gunned another down that was coming onto the road. Miller shot a few more Japanese with Thompson fire as the Marines kept gunning multiple Japanese down in the tree line and pathway. Sullivan struck a couple others down as I shot a few more Japanese soldiers in the trees, then aimed to the left and gunned a couple others down on the pathway.

"Die, you bastards!" a Marine shouted as he fired his rifle at the Japanese forces.

Miller shot down a few more enemies, just as two more charged with sharp bayonets. I shot one down, but the other managed to thrust his bayonet into the stomach of a Marine... And in angry response, Miller charged and knocked the Japanese soldier down with his gun's stock, then beating him with it until the enemy was out. We kept moving up the pathway, gunning down Japanese soldiers at the sides and, after some fierce fighting, we made it across the hill... Right in time to see our target, the mortars.

"There they are!" Miller stated.

"Move it," Sullivan ordered, "Take 'em all out!"

I looked across the area and spotted three mortar emplacements in the sandy area, as well as a few trees and two buildings that could have enemies hiding inside. I fired my Garand rifle and took out a soldier in one of the pits, causing the other two to become alerted. I shot down another as the last raised a type 100, but Sullivan managed to shoot him first.

Several Japanese soldiers emerged from the buildings and opened fire with rifles and sub machine guns, but I fired some rifle fire and shot them down, while two Japanese with Type 100 guns opened fire from the trees and struck a couple Marines down, but in reaction, Miller fired his rifle and shot the two enemies in return. Another Marine was gunned down by an Arisaka round, just as I shot down a sniper from a tree, and then the other Marines fired some rounds that gunned down several enemies.

The intense firefight went on as few more Japanese soldiers emerged from the second building to ambush, but Miller fired some BAR shots and gunned them down. I shot another tree sniper, but then two more Japanese soldiers started shooting from the windows of the left building. I took cover behind a dune and aimed at the soldiers, blazing a couple rounds that struck one down. As a Marine was shot by the bullet of the other enemy in the building, Sullivan aimed and fired at the window, raking the enemy with bullets.

The other Marines shot a few more Japanese soldiers in the area, then some aimed and gunned a couple other enemies down in the tree lines to the right. As I came up to the second pit, I aimed and fired a couple shots at the four occupants inside, pinning them down before I rushed to cover in the first cleared pit, just as they fired back. I fired my last couple bullets, sounding the Garand's ping as I wounded at least two of the enemies... But as I reloaded, a small object was tossed into my mortar pit, a Japanese Kiska grenade... Though I was fortunate to see it fast enough, as like a reflex, I picked up the grenade and tossed it back at Japanese soldiers in the second pit, the blast tearing them to bloody pieces as it ripped a few limbs off of them.

"Second pit's clear," Sullivan noted, "Keep going!"

"Watch out for Tojo in the buildings!" a Marine warned.

Miller fired his Thompson gun and shot a few Japanese soldiers in the trees while I aimed my Garand and gunned down two others in the tree line just before turning back and shooting another enemy in the building... This only proved the least of our worries, though, as suddenly, a Type 92 machine gun opened up in the window of that same building, spraying some shots.

"Shit," a Marine shouted, "Jap machine gun in the building!"

The Marines all took cover behind different objects and sand dunes as the machine gun kept blazing, striking down a couple Marines. I fired a couple rounds at the gunner, but he was too well defended, and thus, I sunk back into the pit... Right where I found my solution in the mortar shells laying on a box next to me... Picking one up, I struck the shell's tip on the metal crate, priming it, and then I threw it at the building housing the gun, blowing the building to splintering pieces in a fiery explosion, and silencing the gunner for good.

"Yeah," a Marine said, "Take that, you bastards!"

Two Japanese soldiers started firing from the other building through a window. I turned around and fired some shots back, blazing rounds that sliced through the wall of wood in splinters, taking one soldier down and forcing the other to hide behind the wall next to the window... However, I knew the wall was weak enough, So I aimed and fired right through his cover, the bullets penetrating through the wood and slicing the enemy down.

With the resistance gone, I could now focus on my prime target, the last mortar pit, which was still blasting off shells. In response, I primed another shell and threw it at the last pit, blasting away the occupants and apparently striking an ammo box, which blew apart and started spraying bullets all over the place for a brief moment... The mortar pits were taken out.

"Mortars are down," Sullivan said, "Good work, Eddie."

"Sergeant," Miller started speaking as he went over to Sullivan with some binoculars, "Something's coming over those dunes in the distance... We might have a problem."

Sullivan took the binoculars in hand and looked through them at the dunes about a good distance away... And just in time to see that problem roll right into view in the form of two Japanese Type 97 Chi-Ha tanks that parked themselves on top of the dunes.

"Shit," Miller said, "The Japs sent tanks in!"

"Type 97 tank, 47 millimeter gun," Sullivan noted, "Destroy it!"

The enemy tanks, placed on the dunes, started firing off a couple shells and blasting away a few Marines, forcing the rest of us into cover in the smaller dunes and buildings while the tanks kept blazing away.

"Damn it, we can't advance with those fucking tanks in the way," Sullivan said, then he looked over and saw a radioman in a nearby foxhole, and had shout over, "You, radio op! Call a naval barrage on those God damned tanks!" ...But just as Sullivan finished his order, immediately, a bullet fired from the machine gun atop one of the tanks sliced him down.

"Fuck!" a Marine shouted in distress.

"Henderson, you're up," Sullivan said to me, "Get over to that radio and call some rockets on those Jap tanks! Wait for my order," Sullivan looked over to see the tanks, and after a brief moment, he shouted to me, "Move it, Henderson!"

With sharp speed, I dashed over towards the foxhole a short distance from my former position, a midst the enemy machine gun bullets chasing me... But they couldn't catch me anyways, as I jumped into the foxhole and grabbed the radio off the dead operator, then I started calling in the barrage.

"Target registered," the voice on the other side said, "Firing for effect."

I waited a short while before I saw a few naval gun shells rain down relentlessly on one of the tanks, blasting it to a fiery ruin. With one of the tanks destroyed, I waited for the ready and called in another barrage... And soon after, a few other shells came in. The remaining tank tried to move, but it was too late, as the shells hammered down on the armored vehicle and turned it into a smouldering ruin.

"That's it, Eddie," Miller said, "Japanese tanks are gone, Sullivan!"

"Good," Sullivan said, "Now we can move onto that artillery."

"Finally!" Miller rejoiced.

With the mortars taken out, the three of us started moving down a sandy pathway with other Marines towards the direction of the artillery... Though, along the way, we still encountered Japanese forces on the tree lined pathway.

"Shit!" a Marine shouted, "Jap soldiers!"

"Kill them!" another Marine demanded.

Confronting a platoon of enemies before us, the Marines took positions by the trees lining the pathway, then they aimed and fired their rifles at the Japanese. A fierce skirmish ensued as the Marines fired hails of intense gunfire that shot numerous Japanese soldiers to pieces in vicious fighting. Brandishing my Thompson, I fired some shots that gunned five enemies down as Miller fired his Thompson gun and shot several Japanese as well. A few Marines were struck down by enemy bullets, but the other Marines kept firing immense shots at Japanese forces from their tree cover, gunning multiple more enemies down While Sullivan also nailed a few others with Trench gun shots. However, as the initial enemy numbers dwindled, the Japanese kept sending more and more troops to confront us, but the Marines kept fighting furiously to crush the resistance.

The fierce battle kept raging as Marines kept firing immense gunfire at the Japanese opponents. I fired some more Thompson fire and gunned six more enemies down while Miller shot a few others as well. The Marines kept blazing rounds that ripped through the trees and bloodily sliced enemy soldiers apart, and though a couple other Marines were struck down in return, we kept fighting ever more fiercely, with Marines gunning multiple more Japanese down in relentless gunfire. Sullivan shot down a couple more enemies as Miller shot several other Japanese with Thompson fire, then I fired some furious Thompson shots and shot five more down. Enemy bullets tore down a couple other Marines, but after much vicious fighting, the Marines fired intense gunfire and shot numerous Japanese in the fierce skirmish raging on the sandy pathway.

The fighting raged on, but as the Marines and I kept striking more enemies down with intense gunfire, the skirmish started to sway in our favor, as the enemy force dwindled severely. Eventually, after much more fighting and guns blazing, the enemy broke down and we could move forwards.

"Move forward," Sullivan ordered, "Watch out for any stragglers!"

Taking out my Garand rifle, I moved along the pathway with the others, fending off any resistance in our way. Numerous Japanese soldiers remained in the tree lines, still blazing some rounds our way, but we Marines kept firing our guns at the enemy troops, fending them off the best we could as we moved forward.

A few Marines were taken down by enemy rounds, but Miller and I fired some furious shots and killed several Japanese soldiers in the trees as Sullivan blazed covering fire. The Marines shot several other Japanese in blazing gunfire as I gunned down two others to the left, then shot two more to the right. As a couple other Marines were gunned down, Miller shot a few more enemies with Thompson fire as Sullivan nailed a couple others. I shot down four more in the tree lines, then aimed in the trees, blasting a sniper out, and causing him to fall and dangle from his harness, then I gunned down two more emerging on the pathway.

The fierce fighting raged as the Marines shot several more Japanese soldiers... But we heard a sudden surprise jump out of the trees closer to us.

"Banzai!" a Japanese soldier shouted as he and another charged forth with their bayonets ready. I aimed and shot one of them down as another Marine nailed another with two Garand rounds. But this wasn't the end of it, as another charger came out and stabbed a Marine right in the back, who was then angrily shot down by Sullivan. Three other chargers emerged out of the trees, with one getting gunned down by a Marine's rifle shots. The other two, however, were able to get close to a couple targets... But those friendlies proved to have more fight in them then that, as when one of the charger's got close enough, one of the Marines rushed the charger and hit the enemy hard with two strikes from his rifle stock, knocking him down and out with a third strike brought down on the charger's head while another Marine flipped the other charger over his back and onto the ground, just before the Marine turned and shot him dead at point-blank.

We kept moving down the pathway, shooting at Japanese soldiers in the tree lines at the sides, but after some more intense fighting, we managed to finally come out of the pathway and enter another area... And in the distance, we saw that it contained exactly what we were looking for, the artillery guns, six of them in all, blazing powerful shots at our ships from heavily fortified concrete defenses on the coastline... And facing us to get them, however, appeared to be a line of enemy machine gun bunkers.

"There's the Japanese artillery," Miller said, "Let's tear them to fucking pieces!"

"Move forward," Sullivan ordered, "Take out those bunkers first!"

The Marines charged forwards, taking positions near the dunes and foxholes in the sand as the machine guns from the Japanese bunkers blazed rounds out towards our advance, with several Japanese soldiers appearing around the bunkers to assist in the defense. A few Marines were hit by machine gun fire, but most managed to keep their cover in the sandy dunes, with some Marines firing their guns back at the Japanese defenses.

Miller fired some Thompson shots and gunned a few Japanese down as Sullivan shot down a sniper in a nearby tree. I aimed my Garand rifle and fired several rounds, striking down a few Japanese soldiers by the bunker line, then turning to the left and shooting two others by the trees.

"Die, you fucking bastards!" Miller shouted as he shot a couple more enemies with Thompson fire. Sullivan gunned down a couple other enemies by the bunker line as I shot two more at the trees to the left, then Sullivan threw a grenade at the bunker, the blast spewing sand in the air like a fountain and ripping off the arm of one enemy.

"Sullivan," Miller said, "I think we can clear it out!"

"Okay, Miller... Henderson," Sullivan called to us, handing a grenade to Miller, "Move up to the side and take that bastard to the left... I'll give you some covering fire for your approach, wait for my order!"

With a brief moment passing, Sullivan gave us the go ahead and then blazed his Trench gun at the left bunker, causing the gunner to focus on him and allowing Miller and I to race over to the side of it, just barely getting to safety. Just as soon as I got there, I primed and threw a grenade into the bunker window, resulting in a shout of alarm in Japanese and a smoke resulting blast. I looked through the window and noticed an enemy going for the gun, so I aimed into the window and shot him dead.

Miller fired his Thompson and shot a few more Japanese soldiers standing in the sand, just as I aimed into the trench leading into the back of the bunker we just cleared... And as if my grenade didn't do enough, a Japanese soldier came out, but I shot him down, then shot another survivor who came out of the trench.

"Jap soldiers coming at us," Miller warned, "Nail those bastards, Henderson!"

Miller fired some shots that gunned a couple enemies down by the other bunker as I aimed and shot down two others near it, then blasted down a sniper in a tree... However, this got the attention of the other bunker's gunner, who blazed away and forced Miller and I into cover behind the cleared bunker. Miller blazed some rounds in return, but it looked rather hopeless... Until the both of us managed to see a flamethrower operator struggling towards the bunker from the side.

"Eat this, Tojo!" Miller shouted as he primed and threw a grenade that went off around the bunker, distracting the gunner briefly, but long enough for the operator to finally reach his target, emitting a spray of fire that set the bunker ablaze, and as some fire spewed out of the bunker window, followed by the gunner himself bursting from the window and writhing in flames.

"Yeah, burn you fucking pricks!" Miller shouted jubilantly.

"All of you move up!" Sullivan shouted.

Miller and I emerged from our cover as Sullivan ran up to us, just as five Japanese came out from another bunker in the nearby trench system... But the flamethrower operator noticed them too, emitting huge sprays of fire that engulfed the Japanese soldiers in fiery blaze... The other Marines came over and saw this as Miller, Sullivan and I started to move on, seeing the Japanese soldiers screaming and writhing as they were burning intensely with the fires engulfing them.

"Huh... Poor bastards." a Marine said.

"They're Tojo bastards, they don't deserve sympathy," Miller corrected, "Let these fuckers burn."

A harsh statement, but Miller was right... I knew this was the same army that ravaged China and tortured my fellow Marines as prisoners, and I watched in satisfaction as they suffered and burned to death... It's what they deserved.

The bunker line defeated, as the flamethrower operator kept spewing flames into the trenches for any remaining Japanese enemies while the rest of us headed towards the line of artillery. Several Japanese soldiers emerged out of nearby supply holds, but Miller fired and shot a few of them as I aimed and gunned a couple as well. As we all got closer towards the guns, the Japanese operating them became alert and began to grab their weapons... But we aimed first and started shooting them down, until they were all eliminated.

"You got any charges left?" Sullivan asked a nearby engineer.

"A couple were lost in the channel, but I got some left," the engineer responded with, "...I think I have enough."

"Good," Sullivan said, then turned to us, "Miller, Henderson, watch that road behind us, protect the engineer as he places the charges on these guns."

"I'm on it!" Miller responded, then he and I went over to a wooden barricade and aimed our weapons at the back road, then we were quickly joined by Sullivan as well. The engineer immediately started working on placing charges... And it was right after he finished up with the first one and moved onto the second that trouble began to arrive. "Here they come," Miller said, spotting Japanese soldiers approaching, "Bring them down!"

Miller, Sullivan and I then all started firing our guns at the approaching Japanese, gunning several down in a firefight. I shot four of them as they came up the road, then Miller shot a few others as Sullivan blazed down a couple more. I shot down another two, and then looked back as the engineer finished working on the second gun and moved onto the third, then I turned back and gunned down two more enemies. However, some of the enemies managed to fire a few stray bullets that just missed the engineer.

"Cover me, God damn it!" the engineer shouted, "I can't work like this!"

I knew I needed to step it up now, as I furiously shot four more advancing enemies while Miller fired some intense Thompson fire and shot several other Japanese, then aimed at the right and gunned down a couple more. I shot two more more down as Sullivan blazed some rounds that struck a few others. Some fierce fighting passed as I looked over and saw that the engineer was already working on the last gun. I aimed and shot a few others and soon, as the fighting started to die down, I heard the engineer call over, "Okay, I'm done!"

The engineer started running over towards us as Sullivan called the rest of us to clear away from the guns, and we all got a a good distance away to be safe... But that's when the engineer was hit by an Arisaka bullet, and he fell to the ground in pain.

"Shit, the engineer's been fucking hit, Sullivan," Miller shouted, then he angrily aimed and started firing his BAR rifle furiously at the Japanese, shouting, "You God damned fucking bastards!"

"Henderson," Sullivan started saying, "Get the engineer over here... Miller, you and me, let's cover him!"

"Yes sir!" Miller said.

I rushed over towards the engineer as Miller and Sullivan followed after and took cover behind a nearby rock while I picked up the engineer and started carrying him over my back, holding his arm with one hand and my rifle with the other, and I kept walking slowly over towards my allies... But some heavy Type 100 gunfire razed past my position and I had to set the engineer down behind a rock.

Seeing my impending danger, Miller and Sullivan blazed some fire that pinned down the Japanese soldiers, then I aimed and shot two of them away. With the threat diminished, I picked the engineer back up and trudged my way over towards the other Marines, finally making it to them and setting the engineer in a safe spot by a fallen palm tree as Miller and Sullivan scurried back with me.

"...I'm... I'm all right... Rrrghnn... Damn it... Urgh." the engineer breathed gratefully through his painful wound. That's when Sullivan picked up the detonator and handed it to me.

"Henderson, blow up these damn guns!" Sullivan ordered.

Taking the detonator and seeing everyone at a safe distance, then pushed down on the plunger and watched as the guns burst to pieces in a fiery explosion, leaving a haze of smoke and a few pieces scattered around.

"Guns are down," Sullivan rejoiced, " Let's move up... See if we can find their headquarters!"

Miller, Sullivan and I started running down the pathway, seeing an F40 Corsair soaring up ahead, blazing its guns at an enemy bunker... But then, we saw some fire blaze upwards from the ground just a short distance away, fending the plane off and forcing it to fly away with a trail of smoke.

"Damn it," Miller said, "Bastards have an AA gun nearby!"

We kept moving down the short trail, blazing some fire that gunned down any Japanese troops in our way. I aimed and shot a couple enemies on the pathway then we came upon the end of the short distance to find our attention steel er, a triple 25 AA gun sitting right next to a hut.

"There's a Triple 25 gun right there!" Miller noticed.

"25 millimeter," Sullivan noted as well, "Take it out!"

However, in the hut next to it, a type 99 gun opened up and fired, taking down a Marine by shredding off his legs with powerful rounds. Miller fired some shots that raked the position as I fired some Garand shots and raked the gunner down. This was followed by a Japanese rifleman aiming his Arisaka from the hut's doorway, but I aimed and shot him down quick.

We then focused on the AA gun, and started firing mercilessly on it. One operator was shot dead while the other one was raked apart with bullets as he stumbled off... The AA gun was neutralized.

"AA gun's down," Sullivan said, "Let's move on!"

"Hah, they're no match for the Marine Corps!" Miller shouted excitedly.

With this, we kept moving down another pathway in the supposed direction of their main base... And hopefully there wouldn't have to be any more obstacles for us to face.

We began moving down the path, passing by the trees and large leaves with precise caution... Yet for some reason, we weren't encountering any resistance down this path... But even then, as we walked further down it, Sullivan halted us out of a strange feeling he got. After looking around with suspicion, Sullivan started speaking to the other Marines, "All of you, take position in the trees and hold there... I'm going to check around this bend here... Wait for my order to follow after."

Once the Marines started following his orders, Sullivan turned to us and spoke, "Miller, Henderson, stay with me. Move along the trees and keep quiet... I don't think that they know that we've come down this road yet."

With that, the three of us started moving quickly, yet quietly around the bend, moving along the trees as most of the other Marines held their positions at the trees just behind us, waiting for the go ahead to move forward.

"Headquarters should be just down this road." Sullivan said.

"Is it likely heavily guarded?" Miller asked, "I'm looking for a challenge."

"What do you think? I'm sure you'll get your wish, Chris."

We looked around the pathway as we moved, searching for any surprises lurking for us... And so far, nothing, odd compared to what we encountered before on other paths of the island.

"You think it's close by?" Miller asked as the three of us began to move quietly by the trees.

"Very sure." Sullivan replied, "...I'm still not sure how they wouldn't know we were coming... Maybe they're just trying to lure us in."

After passing by a few leaves, we suddenly came across sight that hurried us back into the trees, four Japanese soldiers coming onto the path, likely scouts of their own... Fortunately, Sullivan got us back into the trees just in time before they could see us.

"Shit," Sullivan said, "There, patrol."

"I see it, Tom." Miller replied.

"...I want quiet with this... Once they're close enough, take 'em out with your knives."

I brandished my knife and hid by the tree, just as the patrol started walking by. They were so close, I could reach out and touch one of them... Sullivan wanted us to do more than that, once we started staring at their sides, that's right when Sullivan ordered us in.

The three of us rushed out of the trees at the Japanese soldiers. I brutally cut one down with a couple bloody slashes from my knife as Sullivan kicked and pinned one down on the ground as he brought his knife down on the enemy, who grabbed his wrist. After a brief struggle, however, Sullivan punched the Japanese soldier and pierced him deep in the chest with his knife.

After rushing a Japanese soldier against a palm tree, Miller hit him hard with his right fist before punching the enemy hard with his left, then grabbing his lapels and throwing him to the ground, after which, Miller started striking the Japanese soldier a few times with his Thompson stock, then kneeling down and furiously and bloodily stabbing the enemy to death.

"Die you son of a bitch!" Miller shouted as he stabbed the soldier, though quietly enough to not attract attention.

Immediately after taking down my enemy I charged at the last soldier and stabbed him, before pinning him down and stabbing him several more times... The patrol was eliminated.

"Good, doesn't look like they found us yet," Sullivan noted, "...Let's see where they were coming from."

Coming to the turn in the pathway that the patrol emerged from, we hid behind the trees and peered around it to an amazing sight... A greatly fortified bunker that looked just like some sort of mound fortress, lined with machine guns, foxholes carrying infantry, and towards the front of the base, we saw smaller pillboxes, barbed wire and tank traps facing down the main road, all ready for an impending attack.

"Looks like we found it," Sullivan stated, "...Is that what you wished for, Miller?"

"Well, that's it," Miller said, "...Let's take 'em already."

"Hold on... We gotta get the others here first," Sullivan said, but something at the front of the base got his attention first, "Wait a minute."

As the three of us watched what was going on, we saw a rather grim sight occurring... A line of unarmed laborers, twelve of them, were lined on their knees, looking bruised and bloodied, with an equal line of Japanese soldiers standing behind them with rifles and sub machine guns, some aiming at them while a few others were hitting them with their rifle stocks. They looked as if they had been tortured by their employers, or captors rather. To the right of them were more bruised laborers, nine more of them, each tied to poles with an equal line of Japanese soldiers armed with rifles standing before them.

"Those guys seem different," Miller pointed out, "Who are they, and what are they doing with them?"

"They're Koreans, laborers." Sullivan answered.

I watched the event unfold as the Japanese soldiers kept fiercely hitting and shouting at the Korean laborers... And my anger started to increase as well. A few of the laborers even seemed to ask for mercy, but the Japanese soldiers were having none of it.

"Damare, anata kitanai Kankoku gomi! (Shut up, you dirty Korean rubbish!)" a couple Japanese soldiers shouted at the laborers.

"Anata kiken'na kangokujin wa, subete no hitsugi ni modotte imasu! (You treacherous Koreans are all going back in coffins!)" another enemy said angrily.

As the soldiers kept bullying and intimidating the helpless laborers, a Japanese officer, a sergeant, came out and walked in front of the laborers. Unsheathing his Katana, the sergeant started shouting orders in Japanese. Another laborer was then dragged out of the building. This one seemed to be rather old looking, about in his sixties, as he was put on his knees before the officer, who then turned to the soldiers by the other laborers and spoke an order to them.

"What's he saying, Sullivan?" Miller asked.

"...He's ordering them to kill them." Sullivan responded with.

Upon hearing this, Miller started becoming very mad... But before he could say anything, immediately, the line of Japanese soldiers aimed their rifles and fired a hail of gun shots into the backs of the Koreans kneeling on the ground, blazing a flurry of rounds at their victims, ruthlessly and coldly gunning the defenseless laborers down into a large pool of blood spilling onto the ground. As these Japanese soldiers were firing intense icy gunfire that was bloodily cutting the Koreans to pieces in a brutal massacre, the line of Japanese next to them all aimed their rifles at the nine other laborers tied to the poles and fired numerous rounds into them, the bullets piercing the flesh of the laborers and spilling blood onto their clothes, causing the tied up laborers to hang on the poles just like clothes out to dry... And the Japanese soldiers just kept cruelly shooting their victims.

Most died already, and those that didn't were either shot repeatedly or violently stabbed with bayonets, ruthlessly making sure they were dead... Just as the sergeant nearby raised his Katana and brought the blade down on the older laborer's neck, cutting the head clean off as it rolled away from the blood gushing from the neck. The soldiers kept stabbing the dying laborers with bayonets, spilling more of their blood into the sand that stained their whole clothes... It was a sickening and barbaric murder... And this made Miller outright furious.

"You sadistic fucking animals!" Miller shouted as he stood up and started wildly firing his Thompson gun at the Japanese soldiers by the base, "I'll fucking kill all of you Jap bastards!"

"Tekihei! (Enemy soldiers!)" a Japanese soldier shouted, notifying our presence.

Miller's wild furious gunfire pinned the Japanese down, striking their positions to pieces as well as angrily and bloodily gunning down several Japanese soldiers in a hail of fire... This noise and commotion was all that was needed to get the Marines held behind us to come over towards our position to help.

"I told you to wait for my order!" Sullivan said to the arriving Marines.

"We heard you were in trouble," a Marine answered, "We just couldn't wait, Sir!"

"Well, I'm not complaining," Sullivan reassured, "Fire on those Japs at the base's front!"

From the trees on top of the hill, we Marines were all then firing our guns at the Japanese forces, blazing hails of shots that struck several enemies down in a fierce ambush, catching them almost nearly off guard.

Miller fired his Thompson gun wildly and shot several enemies as Sullivan gunned down a few others. I shot and struck four Japanese with Garand fire as the Marines kept firing and shooting down numerous other Japanese soldiers. After Sullivan shot a couple more, I fired and nailed two more enemies as Miller shot a few others, then I gunned down four more with Garand shots.

The Marines kept blazing gunfire at Japanese soldiers and positions, striking multiple more enemies with shots from their tree cover on top of our hill. As the fighting raged on, we could see that the pillboxes before the base were getting ready for combat.

"Marines'll be headin' down that main road soon enough," Sullivan stated, then turned to me and spoke, "Henderson, still got that radio? Call an air strike on those pillboxes by the road!"

Taking out the radio and giving coordinates to the operator, I only had to wait a brief moment as the pillboxes were hammered by raining shells, which demolished the pillboxes as well as removing the tank traps present on the road.

"Good work, Henderson," Sullivan said, "Now focus on that headquarters!"

Just then, two machine guns opened up from a couple windows on the side of the base, blazing rounds towards our positions atop the hill. The Marines held their cover behind the trees as Miller shot a few enemies with Thompson fire, and I aimed my Garand rifle and gunned down two other Japanese.

Once another barrage became available, I ordered the coordinates and watched as the naval shells rained down onto the headquarters, hurling sand and blasting bits and pieces off everywhere and setting the top of the base ablaze. One of the machine guns was effectively silenced while the other one attempted to keep up the defense, but with sharp aim, I managed to shoot the gunner down... The base appeared soundly neutralized.

"Move forward," Sullivan ordered, "Clear out the base!"

Upon hearing this, almost with rejuvenation, we all started rushing down the hill, jumping to reach the base. Some Marines took position at the wooden fences and barricades at the front of the base, while others, such as Miller, Sullivan and myself entered through the doorway into the ruined base itself.

Moving down a hallway, we saw a few burned, charred and bloodied Japanese soldiers lying on the floor, either dead or dying, a result of the naval bombardment. The three of us fired our guns into a couple rooms, shooting down remaining Japanese soldiers.

I climbed up a ladder and moved quietly over to an entrance to a room, hiding behind one side of the doorway as I heard voices emerging from the room. I peered around to see four Japanese soldiers throwing papers into a fire, while a Japanese officer was speaking into a radio to his superior.

"Ōsa Shirasaki, sān (Colonel Shirasaki, Sir)," The Japanese officer said as he spoke into the radio, "...Watashitachi no bōgyo ga fujiyū sa rete ori, teki no heishi-tachi wa, watashitachi no ichi o attō shite imasu! (...Our defenses have been crippled, and enemy soldiers are overwhelming our positions!)"

"...Sore ga don'nani nodesu, (...That's of no matter)," This Shirasaki replied with over the radio with sinister calm, "...Watashi no dansei ga nokotte iru shōko o hakai shi, saigo no hitori ga ochiru made mochikotaeru... Jūyōna jimu shori no subete o shutoku shimashita. (...My men have retrieved all of the important paperwork... Destroy any remaining evidence and hold out until the last man falls.)"

"Hai, sensei, (Yes, Sir,)" The officer responded, "Watashi wa sudeni jiyū o satsuei shita... Sore ga okonawa remasu. (I've already taken the liberty... It'll be carried out.)"

As we watched, Miller turned to me and quietly whispered, "Henderson, throw a pineapple in there... Make it quick."

I primed and then threw a grenade into the room, and the men inside were too busy with their work to notice, even when it went off, immediately silencing the men and throwing one of them into the fire for him to burn with the papers. Miller, Sullivan and I followed the blast into the room.

"What were they talking about, Sullivan?" Miller asked, looking around.

"Something about burning paper work," Sullivan replied, "...Destroying evidence."

"Seems like they were successful... And in a hurry."

"We'll talk about it later... We need to go outside, regroup and secure the area."

With that, the three of us hurried outside, seeing Marines positioning themselves around the front of the base. We looked around at the war torn area, seeming finished enough.

"Hold positions here and wait for Captain Lindner's orders." Sullivan ordered... But shortly after this was said, the apparently done job was interrupted by a resounding call just a short distance away.

"Tenno Heika Banzai!" a distant Japanese soldier shouted suddenly.

"Kogeki! (Attack!)" another Japanese soldier ordered.

"Shit, Jap ambush," Miller warned, "Let's kill these bastards!"

"Japanese counterattack coming at us," Sullivan shouted, "Take positions and prepare to defend the area!"

With the Marines positioned, immediately, a swarm of Japanese came at us, their gleaming bayonets risen as they rushed forwards. However, while a bit surprised, the Marines fired their guns and cut down the first wave of Banzai chargers in a hail of gunfire. As the Marines shot multiple enemies, I brandished my Thompson and gunned down four Japanese while Miller shot a few of them with his Thompson.

"Come on you fucking bastards!" Miller shouted, "I'll send you all to Hell!"

Miller gunned down a couple more as I shot four more. Sullivan blazed some fire and struck a few of them, then aiming at one who came too close at a fellow Marine, shooting him down before he could thrust his bayonet. Despite losing many men, the Japanese came charging forwards furiously. It was a scary sight, their resounding cry of the word 'Banzai' matching the terror of their sharp sword bayonets... But we Marines were very brave, holding our ground with anger and stubborn determination.

I gunned down two more chargers before aiming and shooting down another that came close to a Marine, and then rushing and stabbing two more with a knife. The Marines shot numerous more Banzai chargers with blazing fire, as Miller shot a few others and Sullivan gunned down a couple more. As I shot two more Japanese, one Marine gunned down one charger before he then stabbed a closer second one with his bayonet. However, a third charger came at him from his left and stabbed him in the stomach, and in retaliation, I blazed eight rounds into him, then I brandished my knife and slashed another enemy down.

"Sayonara, pal!" a Marine taunted as he shot a charger.

"Come on, you Jap cowards!" another Marine shouted at the enemy.

I saw two more coming at me. Raising my Thompson, I struck one down with a couple bullets, but the other was too close. Luckily, I managed to dodge his bayonet and grab his rifle, and after some brief, but hard struggling, I wrestled the rifle out of the enemy's hands by knocking him back with the stock, then I shoved and pierced the bayonet into the enemy, silencing him.

Picking my Thompson back up, I fired some rounds and cut down two more. The Marines kept fighting fiercely, but soon, eventually, we started to see less and less enemies to fire at... Until there was no more.

"Cease fire." Sullivan ordered.

Immediately, the Marines stopped firing, and when the smoke and the flashing of guns faded away, I saw that the Japanese attack was over, either given up or all dead... Either way, it was over.

"They're done for," Sullivan reassured, "Everyone, mop up and secure the area."

* * *

This small island of Betio, had some of the hardest fighting in the Pacific... A lot of our guys died taking this small strip of sand in a fight that lasted 76 hours... I could see that just by walking with Miller along the beaches that were strewn with the dead and mutilated bodies of fellow Marines, cut apart by bullets as they lay there in a massive river of blood in the sand and water.

Miller and I looked with solace at the bodies as we strode past, with Miller kneeling down and placing a hand on one of them as I stood next to him.

"...These guys here, real heroes, Eddie," Miller spoke, "...They won't be in vain, I'll assure you... We're doing a good thing, killing the Tojos, getting rid of their evil... And saving lives... Even the Japanese will be better off without them..."

Just then, Sullivan came up to us, with something in his hand... A piece of paper that was half burnt. "We searched through that base," Sullivan stated, "They destroyed most everything, save for a few scraps, like this one... Found something real interesting on it."

Handing the page to Miller, who looked over it... This most interesting thing was staring at us from the top center of the page... A small symbol in black ink; a Japanese-style dragon with a circle beneath it, a circle containing a swastika.

"We know the Nazis are buddies with Japan," Miller said, "Think the Krauts are helping the Japs over in Asia?"

"Don't know," Sullivan answered, "Could just be a Manji symbol... Though I also found these." Sullivan then handed some photos over, one showing lines of German soldiers standing at attention near lines of Japanese soldiers in what looked to be China, and another showed Nazi officers walking and talking with Japanese officers.

This photograph, I had particular interest... The lead Japanese officer at the front had a broodingly firm appearance, looking to be mid aged and standing at six foot, with a slightly aged yet stern face that presented deep eyes, close cropped black hair and a mustache... I would say he looked just like Sessue Hayakawa... But the man who was walking and talking with him at the front, I found even more... Very striking, a Nazi colonel in his mid thirties, who was rather youthful looking, but still had a firm and very sinister aura about him, with his piercing eyes.

"...Something may be going on over there," Sullivan said, "I'd like to find out... Just as much as I'd like to see Tokyo one last time before we burn it to the ground."

Miller replied, "...So would I, Tom."


	8. Hero of Stalingrad

_...Eventually, the fight will be taken to their land, their people their blood... When it is taken there, for now, it remains here in Russia... The Nazis are still a very strong, formidable force, intent on keeping their gains... I found this out at Kharkov, but even with their strength and the mysteries that aid them, we were determined to seize the city of Kharkov once and for all from the Germans... Just as we had in Stalingrad._

* * *

 **Stalingrad, U.S.S.R.**

 **One week after the death of Gen. Heinrich Amsel**

 **Sgt. Viktor Reznov**

...It was a bitter day, here in the city. Snow had fallen onto the streets, though it was only a few inches deep, so we could still run through it... We were no strangers to these elements, as my men and I have already fought some of the most brutal engagements in the winter, a midst our Great Patriotic War.

I stood inside a room at the top of a tower, seeing a clear reflection of myself in a mirror on the table. I looked at myself with stoicism, seeing my aged face, with a full mustache and a small beard, as well as dark brown hair shaped into a crew cut. I saw that I had a rather strong, athletic build, yet still slim... But my face made me look like a man in his fifties, presenting stressed lines and wrinkles. However, I still had very deep, glaring brown eyes that many have said to inspire terror into people... I kept looking at myself in the mirror as I raised my ushanka and placed it firmly on my head, nodding to myself as I saw the ushanka in place, a Soviet star with the hammer and sickle brandished on the front... I then looked down at my right hand as I raised it up a little... The most defining feature was that my right hand's index finger was missing its top half.

I remember it as yesterday morning... It was a week ago, just hours before I helped eradicate the murderous scum, Amsel, from the Earth... A German sniper had shot it off, ending our duel... Evidently, this one had quite a reputation here in Stalingrad, had taken out a good deal of our officers, and silenced several snipers sent out to hunt him... I myself have become a legend in Stalingrad, especially since Amsel's demise, but when fellow comrades heard of what happened since my duel, they began calling him, the "Chopper" ...I've been seeking my vengeance on him ever since.

Looking back up in the mirror, I saw another figure in the background, at the end of the room. The man started walking over towards me... Though the mirror left a vague description, I knew who it was anyway... The figure came up next to me and calmly grasped my right hand, and I turned to see the face of the man I knew to be my close friend and comrade in battle... Dimitri Petrenko.

"It seems to have healed... Mostly." Dimitri spoke.

I looked over his face... He was youthful looking, since he was just 18 years old right now, and he had short brown hair that was swept to his right. His young face also sported a small beard and mustache and he sported a ushanka, same as mine, on his head. He was of medium height, a bit shorter than I, with a fit and slender build. Though he was young, he had proven himself to be a very courageous, strong and loyal soldier, just like myself.

"As much as it can," I replied, "Just a simple scar, is what it is."

"Well, at least Amsel's dead now," Dimitri said, "Your three days of hunting had paid off."

"Only with your assistance, my friend... Still, I am hunting the man responsible for this injury."

"Well, then lets keep practicing so you'll be ready, Viktor... Come on."

I proceeded to follow him to the outside of the balcony on the back of the tower, so I could continue my regaining my sharpshooting skills. With my index finger gone, I had begun using my middle finger for trigger work, and Dimitri had been helping greatly with my practice... Since he had assassinated Amsel, Dimitri became a legend as well, known as the 'Hero of Stalingrad.' ...I'm not envious, for he deserves the honor.

Now facing the outside, Dimitri pointed to a tree on the ground, off in the distance. I saw that he had tied five helmets to some ropes dangling from a couple branches of the tree.

"I tied some Kraut helmets to that tree this morning," Dimitri said, "Let's see if you can hit them all in a row... I'll give you nine seconds to do that, sound fair?"

Placing my middle finger over the trigger of my scoped Mosin-Nagant rifle, I aimed the rifle down towards the tree, peering through the scope and surveying the locations of each helmet, so I could be ready. There was some wind right now that was moving the helmets around a bit as they dangled from their ropes... Still, I got a sense of their positions and remained confident as I aimed at my first target.

"Ready," Dimitri began, "...Begin."

I fired and struck the first helmet, then quickly opened and closed the breech before aiming and shooting the second target, nearly missing it as the wind started to shove it around. I aimed and shot two more targets before closing the breech to my last bullet, and then aimed quickly and fired, as the last helmet swung back by the wind and got struck by the bullet.

"Hm, eight seconds," Dimitri noted, "You're improving greatly, Viktor."

"Well, it's what we spent the week preparing for." I said.

However, we both started hearing the voice of our Commissar preparing our troops nearby. "The Commissar's preparing an assault on the Krauts' lines," Dimitri said before turning back to me, "You ready, Viktor, let's get back to our posts."

Heading back into the room at the top of the tower, I came over to a window to view the scene before me. It was a large, spaced out area surrounded by buildings. Off in the distance, I could see a fresh German line, filled with infantry armed with Kar 98k rifles and MP 40 guns, as well as some captured PPSH-41 guns and DP 28 machine guns. Along with the riflemen, they also had machine guns, MG 42s, positioned in different spots, while some infantry were positioned in buildings behind them.

I then looked down towards our forces, seeing countless amounts of fellow Russian troops holding their ground behind a long, yet short mound stretching across the square. Behind this huge swathe of infantry were Soviets manning DP 28s and M19 Maxim machine guns... The infantry were armed mostly with Mosin-Nagant rifles, though some held double barrel shotguns or didn't even have weapons at all... Yet this didn't deter the fiery Commissar.

"This will here be a grave for the wretched Germans!" The Commissar started shouting to his troops with seething passion, "Glorious Comrade Stalin demands this great city to be held from the Fuhrer's savage hordes! You are proud, brave soldiers of the Soviet Red Army! This is your calling, men, this is where you shall show these Kraut vermin the valor of the Red Army, and the honor of our glorious Mother Land! Emerge victorious, comrades, and rid the Fascist beasts from our sacred Russian lands... For the great Soviet Union!"

"...He's only sending them to their deaths." Dimitri stated, noting the hopelessness of the situation.

"There's nothing we can do about that, Dimitri," I responded, "Let's just cover them the best we can."

After a brief moment, a whistle sounded next to the shout of the word "Charge! Drive forwards, comrades!" from the Commissar, and the Russian infantry emerged from their positions and started rushing towards the German lines in a human wave attack... But shortly after that, the German soldiers started firing their guns, blazing hails of fire that cut down numerous Russian soldiers, just as Dimitri predicted.

The German bullets pierced and sliced off the flesh of many charging Russians, ripping off their limbs and pieces of gory flesh while spilling their blood all over into the snow in deep pools... But the Russians kept bravely charging forwards, some of them firing their rifles as they charged.

"Give them cover, Dimitri," I said, "Fire on those bastards!"

Immediately, Dimitri and I aimed and fired our sniper rifles at the German lines, shooting down as many German soldiers as we could. I fired several times and shot down four enemies, then reloaded and gunned down another two. Dimitri took out a few of them as I struck three more. As I reloaded, Dimitri aimed and shot a couple more soldiers, then he began loading bullets into the breech, one by one, allowing me to aim and shoot two more, and then firing another round that sliced through the skull of a German machine gunner.

The German lines kept blazing fire that shot multiple Russian soldiers, tearing many of them to bloody shreds. But the Russians kept their determination for the moment, with some charging Russians firing their rifles back and managing to shoot down several enemies. Behind them, Russian soldiers blazed covering fire with their M19 Maxim and DP 28 machine guns, raking the German positions and striking a few more down... But despite this, despite several more enemies getting shot by Russian gunfire, more Germans came in to replace them, firing their guns and gunning down many more friendly troops.

"Shit... They aren't breaking, Viktor!" Dimitri said, worried, though not surprised.

"Keep firing," I said, though I expected this outcome, "We might be able to break them... Somehow."

While I was gunning down two more enemies, Dimitri shot a few others while I blazed rounds that struck three more Germans. On the field below, the Russian infantry kept charging at the German lines, firing Mosin rifle fire and double barrel shots at the enemy lines, but the Germans kept firing immense gunfire that cut more and more friendlies to pieces, their powerful bullets ripping off limbs and strewing blood and flesh over the snowy ground. Still, the Russians kept charging bravely as they could, fighting and firing their guns from behind cover, though the Germans just kept firing shots that raked and pinned friendly soldiers, with me shooting two more enemies while Dimitri gunned a couple others down as well, and we kept on fighting hard.

The Russians kept moving from different cover pieces, firing their guns at the enemy trench lines as they went, but the Germans kept firing hails of gunfire that just cut numerous Russians to shreds. As I shot four more enemies with my scoped Mosin rifle, Dimitri gunned a couple others down, and we kept firing cover shots at the German line to ease the advance of our comrades on the ground. After more fierce fighting, the Russian were slowly getting up to the enemy line, while I shot three more Germans, though furious German gunfire kept fending off our assaults. Still, we kept firign cover shots as the men on the ground kept fighting their way up.

I aimed and fired some rounds that shot four enemies dead, just as Dimitri gunned down a few more soldiers. German gunfire cut down numerous more Russians, pinning the others down and halting their advance constantly. I aimed and shot two more soldiers as Dimitri gunned down another, but the fighting and chaos raged on, with no real ending in site... At least, not in our favor.

That's just when a second crisis in the battle received our attention, as German soldiers started coming towards us from a street to the left.

"Shit, the Krauts are coming from the left," Dimitri stated, then stood up and spoke, "Viktor, we need to get downstairs and hold them off!"

Dimitri picked up my signature weapon, a PPSH-41 gun, off the table and tossed it over to me. Seizing the gun firmly in my hands felt invigorating, just as natural to me as holding a sniper rifle, if not more so. My job was solely as a sniper before my injury, and while I still maintained that profession after Amsel's death, I had become much more of a leader in the field, primarily using my PPSH, the same one that I had acquired from a fallen comrade in that fountain in Red Square... Where so many good men were murdered by the Nazis.

"We'll raze those savage animals!" I said.

After Dimitri grabbed a PPSH of his own, I followed him quickly down the stairs to the lower floor, coming towards two windows facing the wide street on the left side... And when I gazed outside, I saw a vicious battle occurring in the street. On our side, multiple Russian soldiers were firing PPSH guns and Mosin rifles from behind different boxes and small obstacles in the street, firing hails of gunfire at the numerous German soldiers firing their guns back at the Russian positions in fierce fighting. A midst the skirmish, several soldiers each on both sides were shot down by intense gunfire, but the Germans kept slowly advancing down the street while the Russians held their ground, fending off their opponents the best they could. In response, Dimitri and I fired intense PPSH fire that shot multiple enemies and raked different positions, fending them off.

We all kept fighting hard in the street to fend off this German assault, with me gunning two soldiers down as Dimitri shot a few others, then I fired PPSH fire that shot five more enemies. The Russian and German soldiers kept firing intense gunfire at each other, raking the other side's positions with rifle shots. As I gunned two more soldiers down, the Russians fired shots that nailed several Germans, then I shot two more soldiers while Dimitri fired and nailed several others. However, in the fierce fighting, the Germans fired gunfire that cut multiple Russians down and raked friendly positions. However, we kept fighting on, even desperately, with me firing PPSH fire and shooting five more enemies as the Russians fired rifle fire that shot several Germans.

"Chyort! There's more of those God damned Kraut svoloches coming down the street," a Russian soldier shouted, "hold them back!"

"Fire, Dimitri," I ordered, "Kill these bastards!"

Immediately, Dimitri and I were firing our PPSH guns from the windows, firing hails of gunfire at the German forces in fierce fighting. I fired some rapid fire and shot six enemies as Dimitri gunned down several others. As Dimitri blazed some covering rounds, I aimed and gunned two more down. The Russians and Germans kept shooting rounds at one another, killing several more of the others' men. I kept raking German positions with rapid PPSH fire as Dimitri blazed some rounds that struck a few more enemies. With Dimitri then blazing some covering rounds, I fired and shot six more Germans with PPSH fire.

With more Germans incoming, the Russians kept firing gunfire from their positions, shooting multiple enemies in this street as the fierce battle went on. As I gunned two soldiers down, Dimitri shot several more enemies, then I fired PPSH shots that nailed five more Germans. Several Russians were shots by German gunfire, but Dimitri and I fired cover shots that raked enemy positions, letting the Russians fire their guns and shoot multiple other enemies, then I shot two more soldiers by some cover pieces.

The vicious skirmish raged on in the streets as Dimitri and I shot multiple enemy soldiers. But eventually, the fighting paid off as a few more enemy and allied soldiers shot each other, the remaining Germans retreated back down the street, unable to break our rather small defense.

"Hah," I said, enthusiastic, "The svoloches run!"

"Let's head back up and check on the others," Dimitri said, "...If they're still there."

Rushing back upstairs, we peered out the windows to see everything in a more hopeless state. The square was littered with the corpses of fellow Russians, lying in pools of blood that stained and absorbed into the snow, slightly melting it. Others held cover behind different pieces of rubble with machine gun fire pinning them down as other Russians charged, only for them to get cut down as well... Still, they were beginning to make their way even closer towards the enemy trench, but we still needed to give our help.

"Shit, they're in trouble, Viktor!" Dimitri noted.

Taking out my Mosin rifle, I aimed at one opposing machine gunner and shot him, the bullet piercing through his head. I then peered through the scope to see another gunner, blazing rounds from a balcony on a building behind the German line. Once he was in the cross hairs of the scope, I shot him down, causing him to fall over the balcony towards the ground... But immediately those men were replaced.

Before I could even reload, even more friendlies were cut down and mutilated by German gunfire and grenades. The Russian troops were getting very close to the German line now... But looking around, the Russians on the ground saw their numbers dwindling among the chaotic carnage... They started feeling an ever hopeless situation befalling them... Leading to the Russians beginning to move backwards.

"Begin retreat," one Russian said, "Fall back!"

"Chyort." I remarked. Seeing the Russians begin to run back to the Soviet lines, I knew that was a bigger mistake... For I knew just what was to become of them.

"There is _no_ retreat!" the Commissar shouted, and the Soviets on the Maxim guns blazing covering fire at German positions suddenly turned their aim towards the retreating Russians themselves and started shooting down as many as they could. The gunfire struck many of the retreating Soviets, some continued to try to fall back while others remained frozen, unable to figure out what to do... Both just got cut down.

"I'll kill anyone to tries to run!" the Commissar shouted, drawing his pistol and shooting down those who got too close. He shot two of them, but this didn't deter others for long, as some managed to break through and run past the Soviet lines. Now feeling hopeless himself, the Commissar kept shooting until he ran out of ammo, so he grabbed the arm of one retreating soldier and tried to force him back onto the field... Only for the soldier to shove him away and run to take cover behind a building.

Some Germans started emerging from the trench to begin pursuing other remaining Russians, with enemy soldiers chasing and firing gunshots at retreating friendlies, shooting many down. In response, I fired Mosin rifle fire and shot two soldiers, then I noticed an MG 42 gun in a nearby window, so I rushed over, manned the gun and fired hails of shots at approaching Germans. I shot numerous Germans as I kept firing MG 42 fire, trying to fend them off as friendly soldiers on the ground were retreating, while the Commissar tried to keep pushing.

While firing the MG 42 to cover my fellow men, I looked back down and watched with a sense of tragedy as I saw the deluded Commissar pick up another Tokarev pistol and keep madly shooting at retreating soldiers. "Charge!" he shouted as he fired his gun... Just before he himself was suddenly struck in the chest by the bullet of an enemy sniper, and he fell over to the ground, lifeless.

"Shit!" I shouted, discovering the presence of the enemy sharpshooter.

"Chyort, German sniper!" Dimitri said.

Taking cover behind the wall, I peered around, looking through the scope of my Mosin rifle to see the origin of the shot. Looking around at the different buildings, eyeing the different windows, suddenly, I saw a flash in the top corner of the scope and a faint bang. I barely had time to get back into cover as the bullet flew right past me.

"Damn it, he's in the grey building to the right, top floor," Dimitri said as he looked out the window, "I'll provide a distraction... You just be ready."

"All right, Dimitri." I replied, beginning to aim my rifle again.

I aimed very carefully out the window, searching for the sniper's next appearance. I looked around at the windows to see where he was specifically... Just until I slightly saw a figure raise his Stahlhelm somewhat out the window. The helmet had a unique symbol painted on the side that I had recognized, two crossed sabers below the printed Swastika. I remembered this symbol both from stories and what I saw a week ago... It was him.

"Ah, there you are... My prey returns." I said, discovering my chance at revenge.

"It's the Chopper?" Dimitri asked, "...Is it really?"

"...I've been hunting this bastard all week... Now I can finally send him to Hell... Aim for that decoy, Dimitri."

Dimitri proceeded to make his move, then emerged from his spot and shot a round at the building, shooting down the helmet decoy. This was enough to get the sniper to fire back, and though Dimitri flew quickly back into cover, the sniper's round struck right into the side of his stomach. My friend was injured, but both of us knew that my focus had to be on the target... And when the sniper emerged and shot him, I fired back, striking his position to pieces.

The Chopper and I engaged in a fierce duel, the both of us shooting at each others' positions with several precise bullets, just nearly grazing me while I shot up his position. As I shot at him, he took aim and fired a round that nearly got me... But then I looked over to the right to see Dimitri raise his ushanka in the window. I was a bit concerned, but the Chopper seemed to think it was me, taking aim and firing a round that shot the ushanka out of Dimitri's hand... The enemy was exposed, and I took aim and fired, the bullet soaring through the air... Then nailing him right in the head, and he fell back from the window, dead.

"Ha!" I shouted jubilant, "...Dasvidanya!" I then went over to Dimitri to check on his wound, speaking, "Our comrades have a medical station just down the road to the North... I'll get you there, my friend."

"Rrghn," Dimitri groaned at his wound, "I think- I think I hear men coming inside." Taking his words to heed, I picked up my PPSH and aimed turned just as seven Germans entered the room, shouting in German of our presence.

"I'll kill all of you Nazi bastards!" I shouted, firing my PPSH wildly at the German patrol, "DIE, RRAAAAAGHHHH!" I fired a hail of shots that cut down first two Germans. The other five started blazing rounds at us in an intense fire fight, but I kept firing immense rapid fire that shot the remaining five down...

I looked out the window and saw that German soldiers were going around executing any surviving Russian they could find in the blood littered battlefield... But before I could react, I saw a German tank from out the window, Panzer IV, approaching, aiming its barrel right towards our building.

"Chyort, Panzer," I stated in alarm.

"Krauts must want us dead specifically, huh Viktor?" Dimitri remarked.

"The svoloch is aiming at the building... Let's get out of here!" Slinging my Mosin rifle over my shoulder and holding my PPSH in my right hand, I helped Dimitri up with my left, holding him by his shoulder as I walked him quickly over towards the stairs. Carefully, we headed down the steps... But that was when the Panzer fired at us, blasting away the top half of the building, just as we reached the bottom floor and scurried out of the building, hoping to reach the medical station to heal my friend's wounds... He needed it.

We came over towards the street, heading down it to the North... That's when I heard some rumbling from behind, turning back to see an Opel Blitz truck barreling down the road... Straight towards us.

"Damn it," I shouted, "German truck!"

"Aim for the driver!" Dimitri advised.

Doing what he said, I aimed quickly and carefully at the driver's side of the truck, blazing a few rounds that pierced right through the glass window. The bullets riddled the driver as I saw blood fly into the window, causing the truck to swerve over, flip and collide into some nearby red fuel barrels and crates, creating an explosion that split the truck in half and set the back half ablaze.

"You still have it, Viktor." Dimitri complimented.

"Come on," I said, picking Dimitri back up by his arm, "Let's hurry to that station."

With that, I walked Dimitri quickly down the road, continuing on towards the medical station. He needed help with his wounds... He cheated death so far, and I'm not letting him fall just yet.


	9. M-3: Strike at Kharkov

_Later on..._

 **'Strike at Kharkov'**

 **Kharkov, U.S.S.R.**

 **March 12, 1943**

 **Sgt. Viktor Reznov**

 **270th Rifle Division**

 _My friend's wounds had healed quickly after our engagement with the 'Chopper', and immediately, he was back fighting by my side. We kept fighting in Stalingrad, helping with several tasks, until the Germans were driven from the city once and for all, halting their seemingly invincible drive... We had regained our rightfully earned initiative... But the Germans were still a very strong, powerful force, holding onto their vast empire as the Nazis continue to ravage and deprive from this great country in the utmost ruthless nature.  
_

 _Shortly after the victory at Stalingrad, both Dimitri and I were transferred from the 62nd Rifle Division into the 69th Army, and were sent to Kharkov as the Germans assaulted the city. Since the battle for Kharkov began in February, I engaged German forces in the area around the city in fierce skirmishes... And already, I saw that we were facing stiff, determined resistance. Now, the Nazi commander Field Marshall Manstein has sent forces into the city itself against our men stationed there... Still, I will commit what I can to fight and win if we can.  
_

 _I have been ordered to help lead a counterattack into the city to drive the Germans out... This could be our last chance to hold Kharkov, for if it fails, likely nothing will stand in the way of the Nazis seizing the city._

...I stood inside my tent, sliding on my brown wool trench coat over my regular Soviet uniform before fastening on my belt. I then held up a photograph, looking at what it presented... Myself, standing next to my beautiful wife, Lilya, and right in front of us, our two daughters, Irina and Galina. I still had a mustache and beard there, and even a few lines on my face, but I looked more youthful in the photo... Course that was before this war, which had given me a great deal of stress.

I slid the photo into the pocket on the inside of my trench coat before fixing the round drum into my PPSH gun and walked with it past the flaps of the tent. Outside, I saw fresh green grasslands, and surrounding me, were numerous units of Soviet infantry armed with Mosin and SVT-40 rifles or PPSH-41, PPS-42 and DP 28 guns, supported by a few T-34 tanks.

The men were bustling about, organizing themselves and preparing to advance. Some of them, such as Dimitri and myself, had already seen hard fighting around Kharkov in this battle, but many of these men were also fresh troops brought in for this counter thrust... Still, they looked promising and ready to fight for the Mother Land. I looked over to my left and saw Dimitri standing there, gazing at his stopwatch. He still wore the same brown Soviet soldier uniform like what I wore in Stalingrad, except he also wore a tan back pack, had ammunition pouches on his belt and wore a green SSH 40 helmet instead of a ushanka. He had his back turned to me, so I walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention.

"You're late, Viktor," Dimitri said, "We've been waiting for you... We're almost ready."

"The Commissar is in charge here, not me," I replied, as I walked with him over towards the lead tank, "I don't see why I'm particularly needed for you all to get moving."

"The men look up to you, Sergeant... You inspire them, symbolize what they fight for... They look to you for leadership, Viktor."

"I'm not sure, Dimitri... I believe this battle is lost, for the enemy has made considerable gains... The Germans are much stronger here."

"We will take it back... If not today, we'll return some day and surely seize it... We will have our revenge, and take it to their land, their blood."

The two of us walked over and stood at the front of the lead T-34, right when we saw a man step out of a hatch and jump down from the tank, wearing a Soviet officer's uniform covered in a trench coat while a Red army Commissar's hat sat firmly on his head... Commissar Yuri Kamarov was his name, a man with a smooth face and brown hair. Like any Commissar, he was very loyal to Stalin and the Soviet Union and gave patriotic speeches, but I had more respect for him because of his love for his countrymen and would lead them to battle personally. He cared for the well being of his men and refused to waste their lives in pointless attrition, preferring to use strategy to achieve his goals, as I do.

"Sergeant Reznov," Kamarov spoke, "You seem tired, yet not giving up yet."

"Mother Russia still calls us to battle, Comrade Commissar," I responded with, "I will fight until I no longer can."

"Well, she is very proud of you... Even if it means we have to come back here later on."

Kamarov then handed me some binoculars which I used to peer at our objective. In the far off distance, I could see the edge of the city, Kharkov, and before it, I saw a field of grass with some trees. Present on the field, were fresh German troops, with enemy infantry filling in small trench lines and machine gun positions around the field, with many soldiers standing in the grass itself, waiting to launch an ambush, and behind them, a couple of Panzer IVs. But we had a very sizable and fresh offensive force as well... So I remained confident.

I felt myself become fiery with passion now, ready for battle... Ready to destroy this savage enemy. I turned to the soldiers behind me and spoke, "Another step, this city is, till we take back our rightful lands from the Nazis... When we drive the Fuhrer's army from this city, it will be a sign that their offensive has failed, and they will be on the long road, running back to their homes... And with us following after to raze upon them, our vengeance!"

Kamarov stood on top of the lead tank and spoke, "You hear your brave Sergeant, Comrades?! Our glorious vengeance awaits us... And cities like Kharkov here, serve as the keys to that path for victory... Drive forward Comrades, and rid these savage dogs from our wondrous Mother Land!"

"Yes... With your guns, your knives, your steel fists," I continued, "For the glorious Soviet Union, Comrades... Achieve victory here and drive the Germans from all of Russia!" I then turned to face the battlefield, raising my gun and shouting, "Charge!"

Immediately, with my PPSH gun firmly in both hands and Dimitri by my side, I charged forwards with him. With a resounding cry of enthusiasm, the determined Russian soldiers all charged towards the field from behind, following my lead as we all rushed towards the German defenses.

Kamarov rode the lead tank as it trudged along with us, while the other tanks began firing on German positions in the buildings as well as the couple opposing Panzers. As we moved, German machine guns began firing and shooting down several friendlies.

"Spread out," I ordered, "Use the trees for cover!"

German infantry in the trenches were all firing their guns, striking numerous Russians with gunfire as the machine gun positions kept blazing shots that raked our advance. In return, Russian soldiers fired their guns back at the Germans, gunning several enemies down. A vicious battle erupted as the the two sides kept firing at one another, shooting down multiple soldiers, while Dimitri and I fired our PPSH guns and raked the German positions, pinning down several enemies and covering my men.

As Dimitri and I kept firing covering fire, the Russians charged forward, blazing shots at enemy forces while utilizing the trees for cover. German infantry kept firing hails of gunfire from their trench lines and positions, shooting down numerous more Russian soldiers as powerful machine gun rounds ripped off their limbs and pierced their flesh, spilling their blood into the grass. As some friendlies stood on the field and fired their guns, others took cover behind trees and fired some precise shots, shooting down a few more German soldiers.

The fierce fighting raged furiously as Russian and German soldiers kept firing intense gunfire at each other, cutting more soldiers down. I charged ahead towards a closer tree with Dimitri at my side as Kamarov blazed some covering rounds from the tank. Once reaching the tree, I aimed and fired my PPSH at German positions, gunning down five enemies as Dimitri fired and shot a few others. Russian soldiers fired more hails of gunfire, striking numerous enemies down in vicious fighting, but the German lines showed no sign of breaking down just yet, and the German infantry kept firing shots that gunned multiple friendlies down as well.

"Shit," a Russian said, "German machine guns!"

"Send these Kraut bastards to Hell, comrades!" another Russian shouted.

I fired some PPSH shots and gunned five more enemies down, then aimed to the right and shot another two. Dimitri aimed and shot several more and then blazed some covering shots as I raked another two enemies. Multiple more Russians were struck by German gunfire, but the friendly troops still made effective use of the trees and made rather considerable advances. As Dimitri blazed some rounds that struck a few other enemies, I aimed and shot four more, then fired covering shots that raked the German positions, allowing the men to move forward.

German and Russian soldiers kept firing hails of gunfire at each other in vicious fighting, with numerous soldiers being shot and ripped to bloody pieces. Still, as we advanced further, the Germans stepped up their defense and blazed more intense rounds, bloodily cutting down more friendly troops. I fired some more shots and gunned four more enemies down as Dimitri shot a few more, and as Russian gunfire blazed back from the field and struck several enemies, I shot two more down as well, then aimed to the left and struck another two with PPSH rounds.

"Mudaks are stepping up their defenses!" a Russian said.

"Enemy machine gun fire!" another Russian soldier stated in alarm.

Several enemy machine guns blazed at the Russians' advances as several other entrenched positions filled with German soldiers kept firing shots as well, taking several friendlies down. The line of German infantry in the first enemy trench fired hails of immense gunfire that cut numerous Russians down in the fierce battle, but the Russians kept up their assault, with many friendly troops fired shots back and gunned multiple enemies in return.

"Shit, kill these Kraut bastards!" a Russian shouted, firing his rifle.

In the vicious fighting, several friendlies were cut down by German fire, but we kept fighting and charging forwards, using good cover from the hard thick trees and firing shots back, raking the German positions and taking several more of them down. Dimitri and I kept firing rapid shots, striking several other Germans. Eventually, the first trench line was cleared out, and Russians poured into the trench as we covered them, but enemy reinforcements came in to try and strengthen up the enemy lines.

"Chyort, more German soldiers coming in!" a Russian noted.

"Keep fighting, men," I shouted, "We will break their will!"

Taking positions, the Russians lining the first trench fired hails of gunfire at the German defenses while the enemy blazed intense shots back. Numerous soldiers were gunned down in the fierce fighting, but we were making a considerable advance. As the Russians in the trench blazed immense gunfire, other Russians outside the trench kept assaulting the other, smaller German positions.

Kamarov blazed some rounds at a few Germans with his DP gun a top the tank, which fired a couple shells at German soldiers in the buildings behind our targets. However, the German machine guns still blazed rapid rounds which cut apart several Russians, bloodily tearing off the limbs of a couple.

"Shit," Dimitri said, "Kraut machine guns are ripping our comrades apart!"

"Eliminate those bastards, Dimitri," I ordered, "Fire on them, cover our men!"

As the Russians in the first trench kept blazing rounds, Dimitri and I aimed and fired rapidly intense PPSH gunfire at the German machine guns and smaller entrenched positions, gunning numerous enemies down in the different posts in fierce fighting.

"Die, you animal!" one Russian soldier shouted, firing his gun.

"Fire on those damned Kraut positions!" a Russian ordered.

"Shit, German machine guns!" another Russian noted.

More Russians on the field kept charging forth, many being shot to pieces by German gunfire. I aimed and fired some shots that gunned five enemies in one entrenched position, then I shot two others in a different nest while Dimitri gunned down a couple more, then I fired some covering shots at two enemy positions, pinning them. However, a machine gun blazed furious rounds back and forced Dimitri and I into cover behind a couple of trees as the bullets blazed, some splitting off pieces on the ends of the tree. Numerous more Russians on the field were shot by enemy fire, but Russians in the first trench kept blazing shots that struck multiple enemies down in return.

In vicious fighting, the Russians in the trench kept firing gunfire at the numerous German entrenched positions and machine gun nests in the field, which in return, were blazing hails of intense fire of their own, shooting down several friendlies in the trench while cutting multiple still charging Russians on the field to bloody pieces. However, the charging Russians on the field fired rounds back and struck several enemies as well. Still the fierce battle raged on as the two side kept firing intense gunfire at one another and cutting down many soldiers, And I kept firing rapid PPSH fire at a few different positions, pinning some enemies down and shooting several others as well.

I fired some more shots, gunning down six more enemies in another entrenched position as Dimitri shot down several others with PPSH fire in a separate trench. I fired more covering shots that pinned some enemies in another trench line, but some MG 42 machine gun rounds and rifle shots blazed right back at me, sending me into cover. After waiting for the fire to turn a different path, I emerged and fired and shot two more enemies, finishing off a machine gun nest, then I aimed and gunned down another few at a different position. Dimitri shot a few others as I gunned down a couple more in a different position, then aimed at the right to shoot four more in another small trench line and then aimed again to cut down another few enemies in a separate machine gun nest with PPSH fire while Dimitri blazed covering rounds that struck several other Germans in a trench.

Dimitri and I kept firing intense PPSH fire at different German entrenched positions, lines and machine gun nests, gunning down numerous enemy soldiers in vicious fighting as the Russian and German soldiers kept firing hails of furious gunfire at each other, striking countless soldiers down and machine gun bullets even ripping limbs and bloody pieces off of mutilated soldiers.

"I'll send these bastards to Hell!" a Russian shouted as he fired his gun.

After blazing more covering rounds, I shot down four more enemies in an entrenched position, then aimed and gunned down another two in a different nest. Some Russians fired rounds back and shot several enemies down in the different positions, but German gunfire blazed back and struck multiple friendlies in return. I aimed and shot four more Germans in another position while Dimitri shot a couple others. Russian infantry kept firing more shots from their trench line that gunned numerous Germans down as well.

I shot two more enemies to the right as Dimitri gunned down a couple others, then I aimed to the left and shot two more. The Germans fired more hails of gunfire back and shot numerous Russians to pieces, but Dimitri and I blazed some covering fire, allowing some Russians to fire back and shoot several enemies in return.

"I will break your will!" a Russian shouted to the enemy.

"Chyort! Keep fighting," another Russian said, "Burn all these bastards!"

I fired some rapid fire and shot four more enemies before aiming to the right and gunning down another two in a different position. After evading more raging MG 42 rounds, I fired some covering shots as Dimitri fired his PPSH and gunned down several other enemies. With Dimitri now taking his turn to cover me, I fired my PPSH again and shot four more Germans in a different entrenched position, then I aimed and gunned down two more in another nest before aiming again and shooting two others in a different nest. Dimitri then took his turn to shoot down a few other enemy soldiers.

"Burn in Hell, svoloch!" a Russian shouted, firing his gun.

German and Russian soldiers kept firing immense gunfire at each other, shooting down numerous soldiers on the other side in the vicious battle. Still, as the fighting raged ever intensely, we gallantly refused to back down... But I still noticed that this assault on the city perimeter was seemingly taking a long bit of time.

"We don't have time for this, Dimitri," I said, a bit worried, "We should hurry up."

I blazed more covering fire as Dimitri shot up another machine gun nest, and as the two of us evaded some heavy machine gun fire, taking cover behind the trees, I aimed and fired some rapid shots, gunning six enemies down in an opposing trench. Numerous more Russians were gunned down by tense German gunfire, but as Dimitri and I kept firing PPSH fire that shot up several more enemies in the different entrenched positions and nests, the other Russians kept firing furious hails of fire, striking many Germans in return... While we lost many men to withering German bullets, Russian gunfire had eliminated numerous enemy positions in the field opposing us.

As we kept fighting fiercely, more and more enemy positions were being cleared out, allowing us to move up very gradually. I fired intense rapid shots, eliminating several different positions by gunning down the multiple enemies within them... Soon, after much hard intense fighting, there were only several positions left to challenge us, and they started fighting even more desperately to hold on, blazing more furious MG 42 rounds... But as we both jumped into a former machine gun nest, Dimitri and I just kept firing more PPSH shots that raked the remaining German positions, striking down several other soldiers as the other Russians blazed some bullets that razed multiple soldiers remaining, finally clearing away the enemy positions and leaving only a long trench line filled with enemy infantry just right on the city's perimeter.

"You were nothing!" a Russian shouted towards the enemy as he charged.

"That trench line... There's just one last Kraut defense left," Dimitri noted with some excitement, "Let's hurry and take them out, Viktor, move it!"

"Charge, comrades!" I shouted, just as exuberant.

Immediately, the Russian infantry followed my lead as we swarmed across the field to enter a new trench line, just before the enemy trench of riflemen guarding the city perimeter. The German soldiers in the trench were firing their rifles and machine guns, cutting multiple Russians down as we crossed. However, with cover blazing from Kamarov's two tanks following us from behind, most of us managed to reach the trench and fill it with infantry, Russians armed with rifles and machine guns lining the trench and facing the enemy line.

"Keep fighting," I ordered, "Fire!"

As the German infantry lining the opposing trench were firing hails of gunfire at our positions, cutting numerous friendlies down and violently ripping the limbs off of several with powerful machine bullets in a bloody display of gore, the Russian infantry in our trench immediately blazed an impressive volley of shots back at the enemy trench, gunning multiple Germans down in return. As the vicious fighting raged with the two opposing lines of infantry firing intense gunfire at each other, shooting many soldiers down, Dimitri and I fired some shots of our own that raked the enemy trench line, taking down multiple enemies in the fierce skirmish raging before us.

The two sides kept blazing gun shots at one another in volleys and numerous firings at will, bloodily piercing and ripping off flesh and cutting many troops down. Russian gunfire blazed and shot a few enemy soldiers, but the Germans returned fire with shots of their own, gunning several friendlies in return, while other bullets raked our trench and pinned several friendly troops down. However, Dimitri and I fired some covering shots that pinned the soldiers aiming for our troops, allowing the men to continue fighting. The Russians fired some impressively intense gunfire and shot several enemies in the opposing trench, then I fired some rapid PPSH shots that gunned six enemies down in fierce fighting. However, the Germans fired furious gun shots back and struck a few of our troops as well. After dodging an incoming MG 42 rounds, Dimitri and I blazed some more rounds that pinned down some of our opponents, allowing the Russians to fire back and strike a few more enemies with tense bullets.

The fierce fighting raged on as the two trench lines kept shooting waves of fiery bullets at each other, gunning down numerous troops. German shots blazed back and struck several of our troops, but the Russians immediately took out a few of their own, and as they were blazing rounds, I fired some more shots and cut down five more Germans. The enemy soldiers just kept firing more shots that struck a few of our troops, but as Dimitri and I kept blazing covering fire, the Russians fired some more bullets, striking several more enemies.

Eventually, after much hard fighting, Kamarov's two tanks came in and destroyed a couple other machine gun posts in the buildings before us with blazing shells as Kamarov and other tank gunners sprayed rapid covering fire with the tanks' mounted DP guns, raking German positions apart. Two Panzers came in, firing shells that took out several infantry, but Kamarov's tank blazed some shells that destroyed the enemy Panzer. The other one managed to fire on and destroy a third friendly tank, but Kamarov's steel behemoth and a second T-34 fired back and decimated the second Panzer to a smouldering ruin, consumed in blazing hot flames... Soon, the enemies in the trench had given up, many climbing out of the trench to retreat further into the city before us.

"Ha hah, they're retreating into the city, Reznov!" Dimitri said.

"Do not let them escape," I shouted around to my fellow troops, "Fire on them... Make sure they are all dead!"

With the enemy defensive lines in the perimeter finally broken, Dimitri and I charged our way into the city, with the large Russian force pouring in after us. While chasing after retreating Germans, I shot down four of them, just as several others were mercilessly gunned down by other Russians, eager for revenge... German soldiers like them had ravaged our homes with utter barbaric savagery, murdering millions of our countrymen... I would ensure that they would pay dearly for their actions.

"Ha! He was on the wrong side!" a Russian remarked about the enemy.

Once the German perimeter defensive lines were eliminated, we Russians entered into the outskirts of the city of Kharkov, a suburb with numerous different small houses and other buildings lining the sides of the roads leading into the city, along with some other various objects like decorative plants and features of wood and concrete... Here was where many more German soldiers appeared in the streets and buildings, firing immense hails of gunfire with their rifles in a fierce assault, cutting numerous more friendlies down with fiery, rapid gun shots from the building windows as the vicious battle raged on... So Dimitri and I helped engaged them.

"Shit, German ambush!" a Russian warned, "In the buildings!"

"Fight them, comrades!" I ordered.

A fierce skirmish ensued with German soldiers firing their guns from the streets and buildings within the outskirts, shooting multiple other Russians, while my fellow Russian soldiers entering the outskirts fired hails of gunfire back at the German defenses, gunning numerous enemies down in return.

Soldiers from both sides were firing intense gunfire from the streets and buildings on their sides at the other side in vicious fighting, shooting countless soldiers down and blasting pieces off of walls and obstacles. As Russian and German soldiers kept firing intense shots at each other while holding cover in buildings and behind objects while some soldiers remained on the street, blazing their rifles, Dimitri and I entered the outskirts and fired our PPSH guns, shooting down numerous enemies. However, the Germans kept up their ferocious assault.

"Clear the rats from every building!" I shouted.

In the vicious battle, multiple German soldiers kept firing intense gunfire from the different buildings and streets, cutting numerous Russians down. I blazed my PPSH and shot two enemies in return as Russian soldiers fired their guns back and gunned some Germans down, powerful bullets slicing off their bloody limbs, and the Germans fired some rapid shots back that gunned multiple other Russians down. Still, the two sides kept firing hails of fire at each other, as the fierce fighting raged. While Dimitri aimed and gunned down several enemies with PPSH shots, I fired some more gunfire and shot five more Germans, then I aimed at a building and shot down two more in separate windows. Dimitri fired some covering shots that cut a few enemies to the ground, after which, I fired and shot another five enemies on the street in a hail of fire. Russian soldiers fired some shots back and struck multiple enemies in the fighting, which was met with Germans firing back and shooting down numerous Russians.

The fighting in these outskirt buildings was very brutal, with limbs being shredded and ripped to pieces by machine gun fire and explosions, spilling pools of blood and gory pieces of flesh all over the streets... But the ferocious skirmish raged even further as the Germans kept up their defense. Several other friendly troops were struck by bullets as we kept assaulting the enemy positions, and a midst the bullets and flashes blazing and flying everywhere, the Russians fired more rounds and cut numerous enemies down. I gunned down two more Germans in the buildings, then aimed and fire rapid PPSH fire that cut down six more Germans, while the Russians shot several other enemies in the building windows, which was followed with German gunfire shooting numerous Russians to pieces. Dimitri aimed and gunned a few other enemies down, then I blazed covering rounds that sliced two more enemies down as well. As the fighting raged, German gunfire shot multiple friendlies in a hails of fire, but while Dimitri shot several other enemies, the Russians fired more shots from their cover pieces and gunned numerous enemies down in the streets and buildings.

German soldiers kept firing intense rifle and machine gun fire from their cover pieces and building windows, which cut down numerous Russians. Dimitri and I blazed tense covering fire at the German positions while Russian machine gunners raked enemies with powerful rounds, pinning them down. This allowed Russian soldiers to shoot down multiple more enemies. As the fierce fighting kept up and the two sides went on tensely shooting at one another, Dimitri and I fired our PPSH guns and shot numerous enemies, then fired more covering shots at German positions. German soldiers blazed some last rounds that struck several friendly troops, but as Kamarov's tank rolled in, Russian gunfire shot down numerous more enemies.

After much brutal, vicious fighting, with Russian bullets blasting away at the enemies... Eventually, the German defenses began diminishing severely... Very soon, the enemy defending the outskirts was destroyed, clearing our way to move further into the city.

"That's it, you've all done it," Kamarov stated, "Now move into the city!"

"This way, comrades," I followed up with, "Crush all standing in the way of our offensive!"

With Dimitri at my side, I ran at the front of the force, leading the furiously determined Russian infantry behind me as we charged down the streets with Kamarov and his two T-34 tanks rolling in from behind, all ready to engage any resistance in our way, however perilous.

"Be careful, men," Dimitri said to the others, "Use the buildings for cover."

It wouldn't take long for us to encounter more Germans, for as we went just a short distance further, we encountered a vicious firefight going on... Russian soldiers already in the city, trying to repel the enemy offensive into Kharkov, were battling it out with those Germans right here... In this firefight, German soldiers held two buildings on the right side of the street, firing rifles and machine guns intensely from several windows at the one Russian inhabited building facing them from the left. The Russians in that building fired hails of shots back from their few windows at their adversaries in the two right buildings.

"Shit, Kraut soldiers." Dimitri noted, "We need to help them!"

"Of course we will, Dimitri," I said, then turned to the others, "Men, assist and cover that building!"

"Everyone," Dimitri shouted, "Let's get those bastards!"

German soldiers also appeared on the street, firing their guns on the Russian building, and I also saw two enemies armed with Flammenwerfers go up next to the building and spray swathes of flames into the lower floor, setting parts of it ablaze. As the operators kept spraying fire, I saw five fellow Russians run frantically out of the building, all burning in the consuming flames and screaming in pain... The Russians I lead took cover by several buildings on the sides and fired some covering shots at the two German buildings, while Dimitri and I lead several others towards the buildings itself. Dimitri and I blazed some rounds that struck down the several soldiers on the the street, then I aimed and shot down a Flammenwerfer operator, his pack exploding and engulfing the other operator in flames, leaving them frantic.

"Viktor, use a smoke grenade on those German machine guns!" Dimitri advised.

Listening to his advice, I primed one and threw it near the enemy buildings, waiting for the smoke to fully come about... Then using the smoke as a distraction, we headed forward to the Russian building. Before we entered, we faced the German buildings and fired our guns on them, raking the enemy positions with bullets as I aimed and shot at most seven soldiers in the different windows. As the fierce fighting raged on we entered the Russian building, going up to the second floor.

Here, we saw numerous Russians firing their guns out the building windows at the two German held buildings, who were all blazing tense machine gun fire back towards our building.

"Defend this building, comrades!" I ordered.

"Yes, come on, you Kraut bastards!" Dimitri shouted excitedly, firing his PPSH out the window at the enemy bases, raking different enemies with rapid bullets.

Though some German riflemen and machine guns kept blazing rounds at our building, other enemies were firing hails of gunfire at the Russian infantry charging past the street, bloodily cutting numerous friendlies down... And I decided to put a stop to this. As the Russian soldiers by the windows kept firing on the two German held buildings, raking several enemies with fire, Dimitri and I fired our guns at the two buildings, shooting multiple enemies in the buildings, blazing on their positions. As intense fiery gunfire blazed between the two buildings, I aimed and shot two soldiers, then fired some more raked apart a machine gunner.

German gunfire blazed back and shot several friendlies in the windows, but others came in to replace them and kept fighting, firing their guns furiously. I aimed and fired my PPSH, shooting four enemies, then aiming again and gunning down two more. After dodging a machine gun spray, I reloaded as Dimitri blazed some cover rounds, shooting a few other enemies. Russian soldiers fired shots back and gunned several enemies down from the German buildings, though one machine gun managed to strike down a couple other Russians. I fired more rapid shots and gunned four more down, then aimed to the left to shoot down a machine gunner. I dodged another volley of bullets before I blazed some covering rounds, allowing Dimitri to shoot down several more Germans.

"Keep firing on these bastards, men!" I said, furiously, "We will break them!"

"Die, you animal!" a Russian shouted as he fired his gun.

The vicious firefight kept raging as furious gunfire blazed back and forth between the buildings. Intense German shots raked our building, shooting several friendlies while other enemies from the building kept firing on the Russians on the streets, gunning down numerous more Russians, machine gun bullets bloodily tearing off their limbs. I fired more rapid shots back and cut down several other Germans in the windows and then aimed and shot a machine gunner as Dimitri blazed covering rounds, shooting a few others. Russian gunfire blazed in return and shot several enemies in the two buildings, but the Germans fired back and struck a few other Russians with bullets. After reloading, I aimed and shot two more in a window, then aimed to the right and gunned down a machine gunner before firing again and shooting two more in a different window.

As the fierce fighting kept up, I shot several more enemies with fiery PPSH rapid fire, while the German soldiers fired more hails of gun shots back, cutting numerous friendly soldiers down on the street, as well as several others in our building windows. The situation only seemed to worsen as two of the machine guns I shot up became active when Germans came into to replace the fallen gunners, blasting rounds away. Still, I fired some covering shots, allowing Dimitri to shoot several other Germans, then I fired some shots and gunned four more enemies down in the windows. As a few more friendlies were struck by bullets, Russians soldiers fired back and shot down multiple enemies in the windows. I aimed and struck two others down in a window with bullets, then I fired rapid fire again and shot four more in the opposing buildings, and as Dimitri shot a few others, I gunned down two more before aiming and shooting down a machine gunner.

The two sides kept firing intense fire at each other in the different buildings, raging in a brutal skirmish. As I fired more rapid PPSH fire and gunned four more enemies down, I aimed for and took out another machine gunner, then I shot another two in a different window. German gunfire blazed at our building and shot several more Russians in the windows. However, as Dimitri gunned down a few more enemies in return, Russian soldiers fired their guns back at the Germans, striking several enemies. I aimed and shot four more soldiers before gunning down another machine gun, then I shot four others in different windows.

"The svoloches are breaking," a Russian said, "Keep on them!"

"Burn in Hell!" another Russian shouted.

Numerous Russians in the street were shot by rifle fire, but while Dimitri blazed covering shots, I aimed and shot two more Germans, then I gunned down the last machine gunner before shooting another two enemies in a window. The hard fighting was really brutal, but as the Russians kept firing their rifles a midst the heavy German gunfire, striking and raking numerous enemies, Dimitri and I fired some rapid shots and gunned the last several enemies down in the opposing building windows... The enemy buildings were eliminated.

Once the fighting subsided, a Russian soldier came up to me. He had a slightly stocky build with a tired face and wore a regular Soviet army uniform, with a rucksack and a field cap, and a scarf was tied over his head like a bonnet... He wielded a regular Mosin rifle as his weapon.

"What's your name, soldier?" I asked the man.

"I'm Private Kiril Chernov, sir," the soldier with the bonnet replied, "I'm part of the defense for the city."

"Yes, I can see," I replied, looking around a bit, "Is your commander here?"

"My original sergeant was killed, defending this building." Chernov responded.

"Where's the nearest officer?" I asked further.

"There is a commander several blocks down, um... A Lieutenant Mikhail Vylkalev... I know he's looking for help."

"Then he shall receive it from me... Can you lead me to him?"

"Yes, of course I can, sir... Follow me."

Dimitri and I then left the building, following Chernov out, and with the still strong Russian infantry following after us, we all rushed down the street, engaging in fierce skirmishes with numerous German soldiers as we headed our way to help this Vylkalev figure.

We entered onto the first street, encountering more Germans before us. With some taking cover by building walls or remaining on the street itself, the German soldiers fired their guns at us, shooting down multiple Russian soldiers. Taking cover behind a piece of rubble, I aimed and fired my gun, shooting two enemies as the Russians fired their guns back, shooting down several Germans in return. Vicious fighting erupted in the streets as German and Russian soldiers were firing hails of gunfire at each other, gunning many soldiers down. A midst the flying bullets, Dimitri gunned four others down while I fired my gun and shot five more. The Germans fired more intense gunfire from their positions in the streets, gunning numerous Russians down, but once I shot two more, Dimitri and I blazed covering fire, and the Russians fired their guns, shooting down many other Germans in the street.

The fierce skirmish raged as Dimitri and I fired more covering shots at the enemies in the streets. The Germans kept firing hails of intense gunfire from their street positions, shooting many Russians down, though a midst the furiously tense bullets flying around, raking different positions, the Russians fired their guns back, shooting multiple Germans in return with hails of gunfire. I fired some rapid fire, gunning six more enemies down as Dimitri aimed and shot several others, as the Russians fired some more shots from their street positions and gunned down several other Germans on the opposing side. After German gunfire raked Russian positions in the street and shot several friendlies to pieces, I aimed and gunned two more down as Dimitri shot a few others, blazing covering rounds that allowed the Russians to fire more shots that raked the German street positions, shooting down many enemies.

"I'll kill all you bastards!" a Russian shouted as he fired his gun.

The two sides kept firing intensely at each other in a brutal skirmish, but I saw that the German defenses began diminishing as they fought on. I also noticed Chernov shoot a few enemies with concentrated shots... He seemed to be a great marksman, but I noticed some reluctance on his part... After much fierce fighting in the streets, Dimitri and I shot several more Germans, leading to the enemy force to break, and us to move forward.

"Keep moving down the streets, comrades!" Dimitri ordered.

Once shooting down the last of the Germans we rushed down the street, following Chernov's direction, and turning to the right to enter on a second street, where we encountered more German soldiers.

"Shit, more enemy forces!" a Russian noted.

"Burn those svoloches!" another Russian demanded.

As before, we engaged the Germans in the street, fellow Russians taking positions by rubble and building walls while firing their guns at the Germans, striking several down. After taking cover by a building wall, I aimed and shot two Germans as Dimitri gunned down a few others. Chernov managed to shoot a couple more, but the Germans fired some gunfire back from their side and gunned multiple Russians down. I fired more PPSH shots, striking four more enemies in the street, then shooting down one more by a rubble piece as German soldiers shot several other friendlies. Dimitri fired his gun and shot a couple other Germans, then as I blazed covering shots, the Russians fired their guns and shot numerous more enemies down in vicious street fighting. Chernov then gunned down another enemy as I shot two others... Eventually, the enemy on this street was cleared away.

"Keep moving," I ordered, "Hunt down these savage vermin!"

With that, we move down the street, turning to the left to enter another street, seeing more Germans in the way, a bit more numerous, but there was also a greater danger... A nest containing an MG 42, and immediately, as the Germans fired their guns, we went into another firefight.

"Chyort, Kraut machine gun!" a Russian noted.

The enemy gun blazed away, tearing apart several Russians into bloody bits and forcing the rest of us into cover behind pieces of rubble on the street. German soldiers on the street also fired their rifles, shooting many other friendlies down in the ensuing skirmish. However, once most of them were behind cover pieces, Russian soldiers were then firing their guns back at the enemy, shooting multiple Germans in return.

While I shot two more men, I came up to a building wall, where a German soldier came at me with a knife. I dodged the first swing of his knife and then he tried another slash, but I grabbed hold of his wrist and held it down. I then punched my enemy as I held onto his arm before ramming him against the building wall. After this, I rammed him to the ground and pinned him down, just before quickly taking his knife and stabbing him in the throat. With my enemy disposed, I picked up my PPSH and kept firing cover shots at German positions in the streets.

"I'll send you to Hell!" a Russian said.

"Cover the men, Viktor," Dimitri stated, "Attack!"

I fired some shots and gunned four more enemies down as Dimitri shot a couple others. German soldiers kept firing their rifles, shooting numerous Russian soldiers in the street as their machine gun blazed further. German gun shots kept riddling friendly positions fiercely as I struck two more with bullets, then Chernov shot a couple other enemies. Soon, though, the Russians aimed and fired their guns, shooting down several enemies while I gunned down another two. The fierce skirmish raged as Dimitri shot a few more Germans, though German soldiers fired some shots back and gunned multiple more Russians down. As the fighting went on, however, I riddled an enemy position with rounds, allowing me to further aim at the gunner, who was raking a Russian cover piece, and then shoot him down. With the gunner gone, the Russians all aimed their guns and fired, shooting down numerous other Germans with an intense volley of bullets.

While rounds were flying everywhere, whizzing past me, I aimed my gun and fired, shooting four more enemies as Dimitri gunned down a few more Germans with PPSH fire. Some Germans kept firing back, gunning several friendlies down. After Chernov shot a couple other Germans, I blazed some rounds that struck two others, then Dimitri and I fired covering shots at German positions, letting the men fire more gunfire that cut down numerous other enemy soldiers. I ran over to a cinder block to take position, shooting down another enemy, when suddenly, a German rushed at me from the right, seizing hold of my arms with his hands, then we wrestled each other fiercely. Eventually, after a struggle, I punched the enemy back and then gunned him down with my PPSH, then returned to the fighting to shoot down two more enemies... As fighting raged and I kept shooting, the Germans started dwindling.

"I'll break you Kraut bastards!" a Russian shouted.

"Drown in your own blood, Mudak!" a Russian called out.

As we kept firing more volleys, the German forces were soon eliminated, clearing away this street. We could now advance further down the city towards our objective... We moved further down and took a turn onto yet another street, where another group of Germans awaited us... So we engaged them.

"Keep fighting, comrades," I shouted, "Send them to Hell!"

With all of us taking positions in the street as tense German gunfire rained on us, taking several friendlies down, I aimed and shot two Germans before blazing covering fire as Dimitri gunned down another couple. Some Germans fired their rifles and shot numerous other Russians, but as I shot four more enemies with PPSH fire and Dimitri and Chernov blazed covering shots, the Russians fired more shots that raked the German positions, gunning numerous enemies down. Chernov shot down another to the left as Dimitri gunned down a few others to the right while I fired covering shots that raked the German positions. German soldiers fired back and shot several more friendlies down, but after I aimed and gunned two others down to the right, then shot another to the left, the Russians all blazed heavy rounds back that gunned multiple enemies down... Very soon, the Germans were cleared away from this street as well, allowing us to move forward.

"They were nothing!" a victorious Russian shouted.

As I shot another couple Germans, I saw a Panzer roll in off in the distance, taking aim at one of our tanks. The enemy armor blazed a shell that destroyed one of the tanks. The other T-34, the one with Kamarov, took aim and fired back, blasting the Panzer to smouldering pieces.

We all rushed forwards to make our way down, turning around the block to enter onto a fifth different street, and Dimitri began wondering of the objective location.

"How far away is Commander Vylkalev?" Dimitri asked.

"Not that far," Chernov answered, "He's just down this block."

We all moved even quicker now... But just as before, we encountered more German resistance on this street, this one bigger than the rest, for there were more troops, and this time, two MG 42 nests awaiting, and they started blazing their rounds like a buzz saw.

"Shit, Germans," a Russian said, "Slice the svoloches!"

The Germans facing us all fired their guns, shooting numerous Russians down in hails of gunfire as we took our positions, shooting down some enemies in return. A fierce battle ensued in the streets, with furious bullets raking apart pieces of rubble and tearing off limbs in a bloody, gory mess. I fired PPSH fire and shot five opposing soldiers as Dimitri gunned down several others while I blazed covering shots. German soldiers kept firing their guns from their positions in the street, shooting multiple Russians in a firefight. I gunned down two other soldiers while the Russians fired hails of gunfire from their cover pieces and shot numerous Germans down in the streets, though a machine gun tore two of our men apart, so with Dimitri covering me, I took aim and blazed a few rounds that struck down one of the machine guns, then I shot two more soldiers by a rubble piece.

Still, the vicious fighting raged in the streets as German and Russian soldiers fired on each other from their street positions. Just as Chernov shot a couple more opponents, the Russians blazed some bullets that struck several enemies, then Dimitri fired and gunned down a few others. I fired rapid shots and gunned six more enemies down in the fierce street fighting, though the Germans all fired hails of gunfire back and shot numerous Russians down in return. The last machine gun struck a few more enemies and then forced me into cover. After I reloaded, I moved to a closer rubble piece and shot two more enemies... Then as the machine gun took a couple more friendly live, I aimed and shot the gunner to pieces. With the machine guns gone, the Russians all fired their guns with new invigoration, shooting multiple enemies down in a flurry of bullets.

The brutal fighting for the streets was in our favor, and the enemy defense was dwindling. The Germans kept firing their guns furiously, but as the Russians kept fighting and Dimitri and I shot several others to pieces, friendly bullets eliminated the German defense... Our way to Vylkalev was clear.

"That's it, right?" Dimitri wondered.

"Yes, he should be in that block at the end of the street." Chernov responded with.

I looked behind me, seeing the still strong Russian force I lead into the city... Many men had died to get here, but most of them had made it out through the fighting in the streets, still standing strong. With Dimitri at my side, I followed Chernov into the building which supposedly contained Vylkalev's presence... When I saw inside, men were bustling about, moving supplies, speaking through a radio and others fighting by the windows. I saw one officer type firing bursts with his PPSH out a window... And he was who Chernov called out.

"Lieutenant Vylkalev, sir," Chernov spoke, "I have someone for you."

Upon hearing his comrade, this Vylkalev figure stopped firing and stared over to me with curiosity, then he walked over to greet my presence... Standing before me, was an officer meeting my height. In his mid twenties, he had a smooth, youthful face with short blond hair with swept bangs and wide blue eyes staring at me, a scar just below the eye on his right. He wore a regular brown Soviet uniform, just like the one I wore in Stalingrad, with the sleeves rolled up and the top collar button undone, though his belt was bare, and he wore a Commissar styled officer cap on his head... He looked me over as he stood there, as if he somehow knew me.

"Who are you?" Vylkalev asked.

"Sergeant Reznov, sir... Viktor," I replied.

"Reznov..." He pondered that for a little bit, "...Are you my relief?"

"Yes sir," I answered, "I'm leading a counter in the city. Chernov here says you need assistance."

"Well, your timing could not be any later," Vylkalev stated, then walked over to his window to point out, while I followed to see, "...I'm trying to make an attempt to seize that building over there, a train station. Manstein's hordes have taken hold of it... They could use the railways to transport supplies and troops here."

"And I'm needed to help retake it?"

"That's the idea... German machine guns are laced in those large buildings to the right, and they're dug in... You have T-34 tanks with you?

"Yes, two of them."

"Good, they can help destroy the nests."

"I see a trench line," I said, pointing to the trench springing right in front of me, "I'll just take this here, yes?"

"Right, I'll keep you covered from here. I'll also lend you Chernov... Now move it."

With that, I leaped out of the large hole in the building into the trench moving down it with Dimitri and Chernov in tow, the heavy machine guns blazing at us, but we made effective use of the trench cover. I looked at the large center before me, seeing a tattered war zone with scattered pieces of rubble and dirt while Russian soldiers were firing their guns at the German machine guns from foxholes and dug in trenches, but the dug in German guns just blazed fire back that tore multiple friendlies in the center to shreds... But just as soon as we were in position, we started firing back.

I saw several Germans charging our trench, and in response, I aimed and shot two German soldiers as Dimitri gunned down a couple, then I struck another with bullets before shooting two more down.

"Chyort, Kamarov's tanks are caught up at the moment," Dimitri said, "Viktor, take your sniper rifle and shoot those God damned machine gunners until he arrives!"

I took out my scoped Mosin rifle and prepared to aim it, just as the enemy machine guns shot down several more Russians on the center before me. I took aim, my cross hairs meeting one gunner's skull, and fired, the bullet slicing right through him. I aimed again and shot another down, but enemy bullets forced me back into cover. After the spray went away, I took aim again, seeing another open gunner and then shooting him down. As I reloaded, though, I saw that two of the machine guns already replaced their gunners and fired again, putting me back into cover in the trench with a spray of rounds.

As Dimitri and Chernov blazed some cover rounds, I emerged through the scope and shot another gunner. Dimitri gunned down a couple Germans charging our trench while I fired a few shots that gunned down two machine gunners. Russian soldiers kept firing their guns at the German buildings, but that only resulted in several more of them being shot by enemy machine gun bullets. I took aim once again, carefully placing the cross hairs on an exposed gunner and shooting him down, but he quickly got a replacement that fired on my position... As I saw the buildings, it looked rather hopeless. Half the machine gun windows were boarded up and protected, and those that weren't just kept getting replacement gunners.

"Shit," Dimitri said, "The bastards are tearing our comrades to shreds!"

"Where's your Kamarov?!" Chernov wondered.

...And just like that, I heard the rolling of treads behind me, and once I looked, I saw Kamarov's tank roll onto the center, aiming its barrel at the machine gun nests and taking one out with a blast, then firing a shell that took out two more in the right building. The tank kept firing shells until it finally blasted away all the machine guns.

"Ha hah!" an exuberant Dimitri said.

I looked behind me, seeing countless Russian infantry readying themselves behind cover pieces, reloading their guns. I then saw in front of me, the train station off in the distance down this center... As well as the fresh German line protecting it, a long trench lined with riflemen with a few machine guns placed behind them. As I look to the right of me now, I saw Vylkalev rush over to a foxhole on a mound just next to my trench, manning an M19 Maxim gun stationed there.

"It seems all our men are ready, sir." I called out to him.

"Yes... They will follow you in," Vylkalev responded, "Kamarov and I will keep you covered... Give the signal when ready, Sergeant."

"Let's take those German svoloches, Viktor." Dimitri said rather eagerly.

I looked at the Russians behind me, looking determined and prepared, and I was just as eager... I raised my hand in the air just before thrusting it forward, causing the Russians to emerge from their cover and charge forth... With Dimitri and I at the front.

...With that, I lead the infantry, all charging forth towards the train station... All coming right at the fresh German defensive line in front, guarding it... As we got closer, we could hear the Germans alerted to us.

"Schiese, feindlichen soldaten! (Shit, enemy soldiers!)" a German soldier said.

"Kamfen sie! Toten diese bastarde! (Fight them! Kill those bastards!)" another German ordered.

The line of German infantry then all fired their rifles, firing hails of gunfire that razed towards us, cutting numerous Russians down as a vicious battle began. While the German riflemen were firing their rifles and sub machine guns to shoot down more Russians, gun flashes blazing from across the trench in front of us, machine guns behind them were shooting several more friendlies with rapid bullets, and in the train station behind those, I saw some enemies firing guns from the windows... Still, we pressed on a midst the brutal fighting.

"Use the rubble for cover!" I ordered to the others.

The line of German rifles kept blazing, shooting down many more friendly troops and ripping the limbs off of several with powerful bullets, Dimitri and I held our cover behind a piece of rubble while Chernov hid behind another piece not too far from us. As Vylkalev and Kamarov fired their machine guns, raking the German positions in the station windows, other Russians took cover by rubble pieces, aiming their rifles and firing back at the German line, managing to shoot several down.

"Shit, they have strong defenses!" Dimitri noted.

"There's pieces all around here," I responded, reloading my PPSH, "We'll cover each other with suppressing fire as we move closer, piece by piece... Then we can strike those rats!"

The Russians blazed some rifle shots that gunned several more enemies down, but the Germans all fired intense gunfire back and cut multiple Russians to pieces. In the fierce fighting, Dimitri and I aimed and fired a hail of gunfire at the enemy lines, raking the positions with bullets and gunning down several Germans.

"Die, you Kraut bastards!" Dimitri shouted, firing his gun.

I aimed and gunned two more enemies down before shooting another to the right. As Dimitri shot a couple others, I cut two more down with bullets. The Germans fired more fierce gunfire that shot numerous other Russians, tearing them to bloody bits, but most friendly troops made use of the rubble, taking position and firing their rifles back at the enemy line.

"I'll cover your advance to a closer piece," Dimitri said, aiming his gun, "...Ready? ...Suppressing!" As Dimitri sprayed a couple bursts, I rushed forward to a closer piece, just dodging an MG 42 bullet. As soon as I reached my position, I looked over to my comrade, who spoke, "Now my turn... Cover me, Viktor!"

Taking note with this, I aimed and fired on the German line, allowing Dimitri to move forward past my location to reach a spot even closer to the enemy line. Following the strategy, we kept covering each other, moving piece by piece, until we reached a piece just a few meters to the trench.

Seeing the Germans still firing away, Dimitri spoke to me, "Viktor, take out those those machine guns in the station windows with your sniper rifle, so that the others can move up!"

After I aimed and shot two more enemies at the trench and then gunning down another to the left, I brandished my sniper rifle and aimed the cross hairs at one gunner in the windows, shooting him down, then cocking the breech to aim again and shoot down another... It seemed to be working too, as I saw fellow Russians gradually moving up to the line of rubble where Dimitri and I were.

"That's it, Viktor," Dimitri cheered, "Shoot those svoloches down!"

I fired a couple more rounds that struck two other gunners down and then cocked the breech before shooting down another. As I kept gunning down the machine guns in the windows, I saw more and more Russian troops advance to our rubble line, so I aimed again and shot down another, allowing even more troops to advance to our rubble.

I shot down the last gunner in the window, and many others ran up to the rubble line with us. Taking out my PPSH again, I shot two more at the trench, and as Dimitri gunned down a couple more, I fired more shots and cut four more down. The line of German riflemen kept firing more shots, shooting several more friendlies, but as I shot another two Germans, many other Russians reached the rubble line and fired their guns back, gunning down numerous enemies in return. Chernov made his way over to us, aiming his Mosin to strike down an enemy while Dimitri shot a few others with his PPSH. While the Germans fired more gunfire that raked our rubble pieces, gunning down several more Russians, I aimed and fired more rapid shots, cutting four other enemies down. I then blazed some cover fire, allowing Chernov to shoot down a sniper while I struck two others with rounds.

The fighting was fierce, and in the end, the German defenses began dwindling. Vylkalev and Kamarov kept blazing their machine guns at the German defensive line... Soon, they were weak enough for us to advance... And I took that opportunity.

"Charge, comrades!" I shouted.

With a resounding war cry, we all charged from our rubble pieces, rushing towards the enemy line that was just a few meters from us. The Germans tried to fend off our advance with desperate rifle fire... But ultimately, it was no use. We all broke through, climbing into their trench and engaging them in vicious hand to hand combat.

Upon entering the trench, we all fought the Germans fiercely, slicing and battering at them with knives, bayonets, rifle stocks and even our fists. Ferocious melee fighting lined the trench as we kept hitting and stabbing our enemies, who fought back just as fiercely, cutting and hitting our troops with their own knives and rifle stocks. Dimitri seized hold of a German's rifle and started wrestling him for it while I blocked a bayonet with by PPSH gun and then striking him down with the stock before swiping away another soldier's rifle and knocking him down with my gun stock. Dimitri kept wrestling his opponent over the rifle, taking a knee to the stomach, but after some hard struggling, Dimitri kicked the German down and stabbed him crudely in the throat with the bayonet, blood spilling over into the ground.

I punched another enemy down just as another charged me from behind, but I dodged his attack, grabbed his rifle and wrestled for it, then I managed to get behind him, wrapping my arm around his throat just before snapping his neck. While the Russians and Germans kept viciously wrestling and slicing away at each other in the trench, Dimitri got into a fight with a German with a knife, struggling with him hard. However, Dimitri managed to punch the enemy and take the knife away, then violently stabbing him in the stomach with it. I struck another soldier with my rifle stock before taking out my knife and slicing him down, then I punched another enemy before another charged with a knife, but I grabbed his wrist before I took my knife and stabbed him in the throat, then taking it out and finishing him off with a twisting thrust of the blade into his stomach, blood spilling all over.

The fighting was brutal and it had finished off the enemies in the trench, allowing us to move over to the entrance of the station. On our way there, we saw numerous Germans come out of a bunker with their hands raised.

"Finish off those vermin!" I demanded to a couple Russians, who all aimed and ruthlessly shot all of the numerous surrendering Germans, furiously gunning them down and spilling their blood everywhere... But I found a voice of disapproval from one man, Chernov.

"What are you doing?" Chernov asked, "They were giving up!"

"These savage animals ravaged our cities, slaughtered our countrymen," I replied, angrily, "Surrendering will not save them, they will all suffer for their crimes!"

"That's murder, Sergeant!"

"That's war, Private... They took our homes, our families... So we will take their lives!"

We moved up right to the entrance of the station, which looked greatly fortified, somewhat to Dimitri's frustration as he spoke, "Chyort, the bastards barricaded the entrance."

"That won't be any concern." I responded, as a Russian soldier came up to the entrance, armed with a ROKS-2 flamethrower. Once in position, the operator emitted a spray of flames from his weapon, setting the door ablaze, then moving over to a window and spraying more fire through it, leading the entrance to burst, and three Germans to run out, all engulfed in flames burning them to death, all frantic and screaming... With that, I ordered, "Move into the station, clear out every rat!"

Moving past the flames surrounding the entrance, we went into the station, followed by numerous friendlies, finding several more German soldiers on the station floor. One charged at me from the right, but I cut him down with my knife, then we quickly gunned the rest down... But suddenly, multiple more enemies appeared on the balcony above... From a glance, they looked different, though they were still enemies as they all fired hails of gunfire that shot multiple Russians down.

In a firefight, Dimitri and I fired our guns back at the enemy soldiers, but they just withstood our shots and kept firing, shooting down several other Russians. These Germans seemed like very strong, vicious and dangerous fighters, easily and skillfully killing our fellow troops. However, we kept fighting, with me aiming and shooting one down, taking a good number of rounds to bring him down. Two others fired right at me, their bullets nearly killing me, but I took cover and fired more shoots, gunning down another soldier, just before I was forced back into cover by some of their lethal rounds that grazed past me. Dimitri fired some covering shots at the Germans on the balcony, I aimed and fired some rounds that shot two more of them, a good volley finishing them. I then blazed some cover fire that allowed Dimitri to move up. I shot down another with concentrated bullets and then moved up with him... After they shot several other Russians down with intense, strong gunfire, the German soldiers on the balcony retreated down into the hallways on the second floor.

"Shit, those soldiers were vicious." Dimitri said.

We moved up the stairs to chase down the enemies, seeing the five I managed to kill... When I looked at those soldiers, they were very different. They wore regular M35 Stahlhelms and M 40 tunics with supply belts and packs, but their tunics were black, and they also wore grey button up smocks, which they left unbuttoned at the top and the sleeves rolled up, as well as balaclavas covering their face, save for the eyes. They all seemed to be carrying either MP 35 guns or mostly scoped FG 42 rifles... Unusual... Their helmets also presented the striking SS runes.

"There's something dangerous about these men," I said, picking up and wielding an FG 42 off a dead soldier, "Be careful, Dimitri."

Going down a hallway, we encountered several more of these exact troops, who fired on us, their crippling rounds almost taking us down, so we took cover and fired back. In the fierce firefight, they all shot down the few friendlies with us with powerful rounds, and we fired our guns back, concentrating our fire to strike one down. They were very tough indeed, as it took a number of bullets to bring them down, and their powerful rounds grazed past us, nearly ending our lives. As we fired some shots that raked their positions, they blazed rounds back, putting us into cover.

Still, we kept fighting, firing more rapid shots that raked their positions, shooting down two more of them. After dodging another lethal bullet spray, I fired and shot the last one down in the head. We then moved up further, entering a room where we saw three others, and they fired rounds that put us behind cover. I responded by throwing an RGD-33 grenade into the room. Two enemies took cover behind a table as the blast took out a third, but the other two fired away at us. I fired back and shot down one of them as Dimitri shot at the other, then I aimed and gunned him down.

As we reentered the hallway, suddenly, another German charged right at us with a Gewehr rifle fitted with a bayonet shouting "Heil Hitler!" as he rushed us... But I fired my gun and took him down, taking half the clip to do so.

Another bayonet charger came in, so close I couldn't shoot him down in time, and he thrust his bayonet at me, but I dodged the attack and grabbed hold of his rifle. The two of us wrestled hard for the rifle, and after some fierce struggling, I knocked away the charger with the rifle stock and stabbed him with his own bayonet, then picked up my gun to return to the fight.

We moved further down the hallway, encountering two more soldiers, blazing rounds as I reloaded. I then fired some shots that gunned the two enemies down, nearly taking a whole clip to kill them. After this, we moved to enter another room, seeing four more. We rushed to cover as they sprayed rounds at us, then fired our guns back and shot two of them down then going back into cover. I aimed and gunned down another soldier, but was then driven to cover by the last one's fire... So Dimitri fired covering shots as I took aim and shot the soldier in the head.

"I think we've almost cleared out the station." Dimitri noted.

Going into a hallway, we saw three more Germans, and the two of us took cover by different doorways as we engaged them in a firefight. The Germans blazed fire from their own doorways, but a midst the furious bullets and fighting, I aimed and gunned one down. They fired back, putting us behind cover, but then Dimitri fired on them, giving me cover as I took aim and shot a barrage of bullets back, shooting down another. The last one shot off a flurry that nearly struck me dead, but Dimitri and I blazed shots that riddled the enemy, killing him.

We came to a room to engage two more, taking them by surprise as I fired a flurry of gun shots that cut down one enemy. The second one fired some lethal rounds that drove me back into cover, nearly silencing me. As the soldier kept blazing rounds, I primed and threw a grenade into the room, the blast taking him down, then I blazed an FG 42 round right into his skull to finish him.

"Just one more room left, Viktor." Dimitri exclaimed.

Going up some stairs, we came upon another room, a large office, where we saw four more of these German troops. Taking position as they fired on us, their bullets blasting away at our cover, Dimitri and I fired our guns back at them, raking their positions with a flurry of bullets. With the fierce firefight raging and enemy bullets flying, I aimed and fired a volley, gunning two enemies down before going back into cover as the others fired powerful rounds that nearly tore me apart. Two more entered and charged at us with bayonet fitted Gewehr rifles, and though Dimitri and I shot one down together, the other reached me and thrust ed his bayonet, only for me to dodge the blade and grab his rifle. I wrestled the enemy fiercely for the rifle and, after a hard struggle, I knocked him back with the stock and stabbed him with the bayonet, finishing him as I picked up my FG 42 and kept firing bullets at the others, then diving back to cover as they returned fire. After fierce fighting, Dimitri blazed more covering fire at the enemy, giving me time to reload and then fire a barrage of rounds that struck the last two down.

"That seems like the last of them." I said, a bit relieved.

As we began emerging from our cover, suddenly, one last SS soldier appeared, with black clothes and smock, a Nazi arm band and an SS sabre hanging from his belt, with an MG 34 in his hands... Aiming right for us.

"Shit!" Dimitri exclaimed.

We both dived back into cover as the SS soldier blazed a barrage of machine gun fire. As the bullets shredded different objects in the room to pieces, we kept dodging his fire, moving to different locations. Dimitri and I fired our guns at him, but the enemy sustained it... Most likely some body armor. The soldier kept firing and we dodged his next volley of bullets, then fired more rounds at him, and he still withstood that. The enemy kept firing at us until I suddenly heard a click... He was empty... But he just simply threw down his gun, unsheathed his sabre and with a sharp yell, he charged at us.

Once he reached me, he began furiously swinging his sabre. I dodged one swing and then dodged another, firing some bursts at him as he kept swinging. He eventually tried bring the blade down on me, but I blocked it with my gun and pushed him back with it, before shooting him down, ending him for good.

"That's it," Dimitri said, "We're finished."

Behind us, we found Chernov coming in, speaking "What happened here?"

I was a bit irritated as I spoke to Chernov, "Where were you?! You should have been in here, killing Germans!"

"I was... Helping Vylkalev route the remaining stragglers... In the other buildings, sir."

"You had better have silenced them," I spoke very sternly, "Now report outside, tell him we've taken the station."

"...Ye-yes sir."

Once Chernov left, we went into the office to find a dead enemy, one of those same, really tough SS soldiers that defended the station. I knelt down, analyzing his eyes with suspicion.

"These Krauts were very strong, Viktor," Dimitri said, "Not even the Waffen SS fight that hard."

"My thoughts exactly," I said, turning to him with a smile, "But you did well against them."

Turning back to the dead German, I saw the SS runes on his helmet's left side, then turned his head to see the right side... Finding a small, yet striking and mysterious symbol... A Japanese style dragon with a circle below it containing a swastika.

"That's a strange symbol." I said.

"What do you think it means?" Dimitri asked.

I stood up and walked with him over to a window to the center grounds below us, finding the numerous Russians cheering in their resounding victory. I also looked over to the left to see a few Russian soldiers firing their guns into a group of several surrendering Germans, executing them, while just a couple meters away, two Soviet riflemen each took a turn to gun down two blind folded captives. I also saw nearby, Vylkalev draw his Tokarev pistol, walked over to a German crawling on the ground, aim the pistol at the injured soldier's and shoot him dead.

"...I'm not sure," I replied to my friend, "But we can not think of that right now... We still have to hold this city."


	10. M-4: Spite in Victory

_The fighting for this city had been brutal, and as soldiers, we could with stand that... However, I am still unsure whether we could sustain any more attacks. The Nazis are heavily bent on seizing this city, and any more force from them could still break us... But I will stand firm with my men... We took hold of our gains, positioned ourselves, and now we are bent on defending the city from the Germans, whichever one of their savage dogs they send for us._

 **'Spite in Victory'  
**

 **Kharkov, U.S.S.R.**

 **March 14, 1943**

 **Sgt. Viktor Reznov**

 **270th Rifle Division**

I emerged from a building, holding my PPSH gun as I emerged onto a wide street in the city of Kharkov. Men had moved an amount of sandbags and crates to form a trench line stretching across the street. Behind it, on my side, were numerous Soviet infantry, riflemen carrying SVT 40 and Mosin rifles as well as PPSH sub machine guns, all lining the trench line, waiting to give a barrage of hell fire onto the enemy when they advance.

As I came out to see Kamarov directing men to move supplies, more and more men all lined themselves along the trench line, and several others prepared ammunition boxes and placed DP 28 machine guns on mounds behind the cover line. I walked up to Kamarov, checking on his progress

"Has he returned?" I asked.

"Not yet," Kamarov replied, "We're still waiting."

"...Is everything prepared?"

"We have these defensive lines built here... If this one falls, we retreat to a second trench back down the street and hold it. Our last line of defense is a supply building... If that falls, we'll have to give up the city... I'm sure we have enough to hold out, but we'll see."

"...We'll fight with whatever we can." I said, walking over to inspect a machine gun.

Kamarov walked behind and kept speaking, "Your comrade, Dimitri... He's a really fine soldier, isn't he."

"One of the finest I know, Comrade Commissar," I replied, "He fights the Germans with great bravery... He saved lives and hunted down those responsible for taking the lives he couldn't save during the siege... That's why they call him the 'Hero of Stalingrad'."

"...Well don't sell yourself short, Sergeant... You have proven yourself to be just as brave as he has, and what I hear, you were also a legend back in that city. You both have fought very well... Maybe one day, you will receive a title as 'Hero of' something as well."

"All these men here, fighting for our country, should... Dimitri deserves the honor."

As we spoke, we saw a car quickly pull up, a GAZ 67B jeep, with Vylkalev at the helm and Dimitri next to him. The jeep drove past the trench line and the two men exited their vehicle, with Vylkalev going over towards a machine gun as Dimitri came over towards us.

"Reznov, we found a large force of Germans," Dimitri noted, "Coming down this road... Mostly Wehrmacht armed with rifles and machine guns, with Waffen SS behind them... And tanks, Panzer IVs."

"Those bastards are coming right into our jaws." I remarked.

"Sergeant Reznov," Vylkalev said, standing near his DP gun at the front of the defenses, "You will help lead this defense, yes?"

"Till my last breath." I replied, slinging a DP 28 gun over my back as I brandished my PPSH 41.

"Excellent then, Sergeant," Vylkalev continued, "Show them exactly the fierceness you showed in Stalingrad... Everyone, take your positions!"

With that, all the Russians lined up along the trench line, aiming their guns down the street to await the Germans' arrival. Dimitri wielded a DP 28 gun and aimed it down the road as I stood next to him, aiming my PPSH. Chernov emerged from a building and aimed his Mosin rifle as he stood near Kamarov, who wielded a PPSH, while at the front, Vylkalev manned a DP mounted gun. All us Russians were lined against the trench, aiming our rifles at the road... Just waiting to greet the enemy.

A brief moment passed, when we then heard a faint booming sound, and something coming... Or raining rather, towards us... "German artillery!" a Russian said.

"Hold your positions, comrades!" I stated, "Get to cover when the shelling gets close."

The artillery shells slammed down onto the street before us, but they just slowly started to creep up to our line. We waited with worry, yet firmness as each shell slammed closer and closer... Soon they started to rain past us, taking out a few Russians a couple yards behind our line, tearing off both of one soldier's legs and blasting away another one's head... But the others made use over cover behind rubble, and soon, the barrage stopped.

Once it was over, most Russians immediately lined the trench line again, all aiming their rifles back down the street. Vylkalev manned his machine gun at the front as Dimitri and I both aimed our guns down the road from behind the trench line, and behind us were several different sand bag lined nests were made for Russian riflemen and machine gunners, And in the second story windows in a building to the right, were Chernov and Kamarov, both ready and aiming... Then we heard sounds, coming toward us.

"Here they come!" Vylkalev stated.

German soldiers started coming down the road by the dozens, some rushing at our lines, others taking cover by different pieces... But all the enemies were firing their guns, blazing bullets that flew by, whizzing.

"Fire!" I ordered.

The Russians lining the trench line all fired their guns, shooting down several enemy Germans, and thus, a fierce battle commenced. I gunned down two Germans as Dimitri fired his DP 28 gun and shot a few others, then I shot two more while blazing cover fire. The Russians kept firing hails of intense gunfire, shooting numerous enemies to bloody pieces as I fired rapid shots and gunned down four more. Vylkalev sprayed numerous rounds with his mounted DP gun, shooting down several enemies while pinning a few others, all while Chernov and Kamarov fired off rounds that struck a few others down. However, the enemy soldiers kept advancing, firing their guns and shooting several friendly soldiers down... But in return, Dimitri and I fired more shots and gunned several more Germans down, while the line of Russians at the trench kept firing their guns.

It was a rather small assault, but it was still a fierce one, with German forces shooting down a few more Russian soldiers, but as Vylkalev kept blazing machine gun rounds and Kamarov and Chernov firing cover from the building, we kept holding on. Numerous Germans kept charging down the road, and I fired shots that cut four others down while Dimitri shot a few more with DP bullets. Russian gunfire blazed from all across the trench, gunning several more enemies down as Vylkalev blazed bullets that shot a few other troops, shredding off the legs of a couple of them, leaving them crawling in a trail of blood and meat pieces. As the fighting continued, I gunned down two more enemies, and as I looked further, the German attack started to dwindle.

"Chyort, enemy forces attacking!" a Russian shouted.

"Burn, you svoloch!" another Russian said.

The firefight kept up as the German numbers began diminishing. I fired some more rapid shots and gunned two others down as Dimitri blazed fire with his DP gun, covering my aiming. As the Russians kept firing more gun shots that raked the incoming Germans, eventually, the remaining enemies began to move backwards retreating back down the road until they were gone.

"Hah, was that all Manstein has to send?" Dimitri remarked.

A brief cheer resulted from my fellow troops, but they immediately put their SSH 40 helmets, caps and ushankas back on, reloaded and aimed their rifles back down the streets and waited...

"Enough, get back in positions, comrades," Vylkalev shouted from his machine gun nest, "They were testing us... They'll be coming at us with a full assault next!"

"Good, send them all here," Dimitri said, "So we can silence all of those bastards!"

"Be mindful, comrades," Vylkalev spoke, "I want your full attention, so we can drive those dogs back to their fatherland."

It was a short moment, but we heard more sounds... And then German soldiers started coming down the street, much more of them in swarms. Countless German soldiers were charging before us, firing their guns as they advanced, their fiery bullets raking our positions.

"Shit, Kraut soldiers!" Dimitri shouted.

"Fire on those bastards!" I ordered vehemently, then Dimitri and I fired our guns at the Germans, shooting several of them down as the Russians all fired volleys of gun shots.

A greatly vicious battle commenced as the line of numerous Russian infantry lining the trench all fired their guns, firing hails of intense gunfire which cut down numerous Germans, some bullets ripping off the limbs of several and leaving them in pools of blood and pieces of flesh. In the fierce fighting, the Russians kept firing intense gunfire that shot multiple other enemies to bloody pieces, with the trench line blazing fiery bullets from across the trench, raking the German positions in the street before us. I aimed and shot two Germans as Dimitri blazed covering fire that gunned down a few others, then I fired and shot two more. However, as some started taking positions by rubble while others charged, the Germans were all then firing their guns, shooting down several friendly troops with barrages of fiery bullets. Still, while Vylkalev blazed furious cover fire, the Russians kept firing their guns and shooting several more enemies down, then I fired rapid PPSH fire that shot five more Germans.

The line of Russian infantry kept firing intense hails of gunfire in vicious fighting, cutting down numerous enemies while the Germans blazed fiery gun shots back and shot several friendlies down in return. Kamarov and Chernov blazed their guns from the window in the building to the side, shooting a few enemies down while blazing cover shots as I gunned down two other soldiers. Intense German gunfire blazed back, striking several more Russians down, but as Dimitri shot several other enemies with DP 28 fire, I fired rapid PPSH shots which cut six more Germans down in a hail of furious gunfire. Vylkalev blazed rounds with his DP machine gun, shooting a few others down while the Russians lining the trench line kept firing more hails of gun shots, gunning several other enemies to shreds, then I aimed and shot two others while Dimitri gunned down a few more, then I fired and shot two more again. Kamarov and Chernov blazed cover that struck a couple others, however, the Germans fired hails of intense gunfire back which cut numerous defending Russians down in return, and the fierce battle raged on.

As the Russians lining the trench kept firing intense gunfire that shot multiple other Germans, behind us, the several sandbag lined nests blazed machine gun and rifle fire that struck several more. Dimitri shot a few other Germans down while I fired intense PPSH fire that shot five more, but the Germans fired hails of gun shots back and gunned multiple Russians down in the fierce fighting. Kamarov aimed and shot a few other soldiers while Chernov gunned down a couple more, then the Russians fired intense gunfire that cut numerous enemies down. Vylkalev kept raking the German attackers with machine gun rounds, while the sand bag nests fired more covering shots that gunned down several enemy soldiers, but the Germans fired some gunfire of their own that gunned down several friendly troops. However, as I shot two other soldiers and Dimitri gunned down several more with DP 28 fire, the Russians fired more rifle fire that cut several other Germans down, then I shot another two.

"I'll kill you Kraut bastards!" a Russian shouted, firing his gun.

"Burn in Hell!" another friendly said.

The fighting intensified with more and more Germans advancing, taking cover by rubble and firing back, raking our positions with furious bullets. In the fierce skirmishes, Russian rifle fire shot more enemies to bloody pieces, but those enemies were merely replaced by other Germans who fired back. As I shot two other enemy soldiers, Dimitri aimed and gunned down another several, then I fired and shot four more with PPSH fire. With the Russians firing intense covering fire that gunned several other enemies to shreds, Chernov gunned down a few other soldiers with precise Mosin rounds as Kamarov fired his gun and shot several others as well. As I gunned two more down and Dimitri shot a few others, the Germans fired back and raked our positions, shooting several Russians as well... Still, we kept fighting with even greater and stubborn determination.

"Die, you animal!" a Russian said furiously.

"Keep firing on those svoloches!" a friendly demanded.

"I'll break them to pieces!" another Russian stated.

As the fighting continued, more Germans came in, firing more furious rifle fire at our trench line and gunning down multiple Russians in the vicious skirmish as their fiery bullets raked our positions. Dimitri aimed and gunned down a few other soldiers while I fired rapid SMG fire and shot four more enemies, just as the Russians fired more gun shots that cut numerous other Germans down. Vylkalev kept blazing covering rounds with his DP gun, pinning several others with desperately furious bullets while Dimitri shot a couple other soldiers. The Russians kept firing more gunfire that raked the German assaults, with machine gun fire from the nests behind us bloodily ripping off the limbs of some enemies, but after I shot two other Germans, the enemy troops fired some bullets back and shot several friendlies in return.

The fighting had been very fierce, and many enemies died... But our numbers were beginning to dwindle as well. Ammunition was also beginning to dry up for this line, and I saw that even more Germans were coming in, with tanks rolling up behind them, blazing shells at friendly positions.

"Chyort, German tanks!" Dimitri stated.

"Our ammunition is running out," a Russian said, "More Germans incoming!"

"Shit," Dimitri said, "This line is being overrun!"

I looked around and saw our numbers and ammunition starting to dwindle even further... And Vylkalev saw this as well, as he started to tell me, "Sergeant, bring the men with you down the road!"

"...Everyone retreat," I ordered to the men, "Fall back to the second defensive line!"

With that, all the men started falling back, running down the street towards the second line while several others remained to cover them. While Kamarov and Chernov exited the building with a few other troops and escorted the retreating Russians back down the street, Dimitri and I fired intense covering fire at the German forces, gunning several more down, and then we started escorting the last remaining Soviets back down the line... But as we started falling back, I noticed that one man was still remaining... Vylkalev, who kept firing his DP gun, with a few other remaining riflemen next to him.

"Mikhail, are you coming with us?!" I asked.

"I will cover your escape, comrade," Vylkalev replied, "You escort the others down the road!"

I hesitated a little bit as Vylkalev kept blazing his gun, but Dimitri placed a hand on my arm and urged me backward, and we went down the road with several other troops. I watched as Vylkalev bravely held his ground, blazing more cover rounds a midst the exploding Panzer shells that struck near him, but Dimitri and I still had our jobs to do, and we kept moving on back to the second line.

The two of us were far down the road now, in which we then ran over to a building, where we hid behind a large piece of cinder block. From here, Dimitri handed me a pair of binoculars, and when I looked into them, seeing Vylkalev in the distance, still firing his DP machine gun. I watched the Lieutenant as a couple tank shells rained around him, sending debris and broken pieces into the air while Vylkalev gunned down a few other approaching Germans, before signalling the few other remaining men into a building to the left.

Once the remaining few escaped into the building, Vylkalev picked up his DP gun and stood, aiming it and shooting down two more Germans to the right before another charged to his left with a bayonet. As the German thrust ed his attack, though, Vylkalev grabbed the enemy's rifle barrel and then quickly drew his Tokarev pistol to gun him down. immediately after, he ran over into the building to follow after his men... He disappeared from the battle and seemingly escaped... But just seconds later, a Panzer aimed and blasted the side of the building with a shell, the rubble collapsing in on itself.

"Shit," Dimitri said, "They killed him."

"...We need to keep moving, Dimitri." I said.

The two of us emerged from the cinder block and took a turn as we went further down the street, seeing the second line of defense before us. We rushed up and jumped over, taking position behind the line made of sandbags and crates, as well as small pieces of rubble. There, along with some numerous troops from the first defense and many more fresh defenders, we found Kamarov and Chernov in a nest just behind the line.

"Reznov, glad you made it back," Kamarov said, "...Where's Vylkalev?"

"He fell behind." I answered.

"...We will mourn him later... We need to focus on the next German assault."

Kamarov and Chernov held cover in one of the nests behind the second trench line while Dimitri and I each took position at the line itself with numerous other Russians lining the trench. It only took a rather short moment before the sounds of boots and tank tread began rolling in down the street, right towards us.

...But something else caught our attention, suddenly, and a small group of them came charging into our view, rushing at our lines on four fast strong legs, snarling with their sharp fangs showing off their white color in the sun a midst their tan and black fur... German attack dogs.

"Chyort, they sent dogs for us!" Dimitri stated.

"Everyone, defend yourselves," I ordered, "Shoot them down!"

I spotted eight dogs, strong German Shepherds precisely, as they rushed at us with growling barks, their aggressive teeth trained to hunt for Soviet blood. Several of us fired our guns to stop them, but they proved to be tricky targets, quickly maneuvering around the bullets as they charged even faster. Still, my rapid PPSH bullets managed to strike two of them down while Soviet gunfire from several friendlies blazed and shot down three more with riddling bullets... However, two of the dogs charged fast enough to reach our line, and they pounced on each, a different friendly soldier. The two dogs viciously attacked their targets, mauling the soldiers' arms as they lunged for their necks, both tearing the throats of their targets open into bloody flesh with their sharp teeth. In the confusion, one dog managed to pounce on another Soviet, but while the animal was bloodily seizing the soldier's arm, the Russian took out his pistol and shot the dog in the head.

I gunned down the other dog in the trench, but when I took a look to the right, the last dog was right in my face as he lunged, pouncing on top of me. With the animal's legs firmly in place on me, the dog lunged its teeth towards my throat, but I quickly seized the dog's snout, trying to push him hard off of me. After some vicious wrestling, I finally got one hand on the head and another on the throat... And in one sharp thrusting jerk, my hands snapped the dog's neck... I then stood back up and wielded my PPSH once again.

"Shit, the svoloches are coming for us!" a Russian stated.

Immediately, we saw cylindrical grenades landing in the street before us, smoke steaming out of them, which created a rather thick fog to block our view, and more sounds of boots, treads and war cries came near.

"Hold your ground, comrades," Kamarov said, "You are brave soldiers of the Red Army... Fight them all to your last dying breath!" Immediately, the cries got much louder as the smoke filled up the street in front of us. It was just seconds later that we saw figures, appearing as ghosts before emerging from the mist to reveal themselves as German soldiers, who all began firing on our positions. "Do not fall back, brave comrades," Kamarov continued, "Show them no mercy... Kill them all!"

Once German bullets began raking our positions, some Russians fired their guns, shooting several enemies down as they emerged from the smoke. I tried aiming carefully, wishing to conserve my ammunition, but I did manage to shoot one to the left aiming and gunning another one down, my bullets splattering his blood in trickles a midst the smoke... Shortly after, the smoke cleared, and we could see a great horde of Germans approaching.

"Send those God damned Kraut bastards to Hell!" a Russian shouted.

The Russians all fired hails of gunfire at the German attackers, bloodily striking numerous enemies down as a vicious skirmish ensued. I shot several German soldiers with PPSH fire while Dimitri gunned down a few others with DP 28 shots, though many Germans just fired back, shooting several Russians in return. There was more rubble in the street, so the enemy had more cover to use, but we just kept firing on them, trying to pin down their advance. Kamrov blazed some PPSH rounds and struck a few others down while Chernov shot a couple more, then I fired and shot five more enemies to pieces with rapid rounds. Furious Russian gunfire blazed from across the trench line, cutting down multiple German soldiers as Dimitri shot several more with DP fire. I aimed and gunned two others down as German soldiers fired their guns back and shot several more Russians down, but as I shot another two, the Russians kept firing shots that raked the German positions, shooting several soldiers to fleshy bits with strong rounds and pinning others down behind rubble.

Powerful machine gun bullets and grenades ripped limbs and flesh off enemy soldiers, spilling them in pools of blood, but still, the enemy advanced with even greater determination, with Germans firing gun shots that cut multiple Russians down. In return, I fired a hail of rapid fire and shot six enemies, then Kamarov aimed and gunned down several others while I shot another two. While the Germans kept blazing rounds that blasted our cover to bits and pieces, the Russians offered even more stubborn resistance, firing more hails of shots back that cut numerous other Germans down, which Dimitri followed by shooting several more enemies with DP fire. As I shot several more enemies with fiery PPSH shots, Chernov aimed and gunned down a few others with concentrated fire, then I aimed and shot two more. While Russian gunfire shot multiple enemies in the vicious fighting, Dimitri shot several other soldiers as Kamarov gunned down a few more, but the Germans fired bullets back that tore down several friendly troops. Chernov shot another charging German, then Dimitri and I blazed cover fire as the Russians gunned down several other enemies, then I aimed and gunned down two more.

"You were nothing!" a Russian remarked as he shot a German.

Dimitri shot several more Germans with DP 28 fire as the Germans kept firing more gun shots at our positions, riddling the cover with fiery bullets. Still, the numerous Russian infantry lining the second trench kept firing more immense gunfire, cutting numerous other Germans down. I fired some more rapid shots that gunned five more Germans down, and after I reloaded, Dimitri and I blazed covering fire at German positions and chargers, which allowed Kamarov to shoot down several other enemies with PPSH fire. While the Germans shot several Russians down with their rifle fire, Dimitri shot a few others down, and then he blazed covering fire as I aimed and gunned two more down in a flurry... Some other Russians were bloodily struck by enemy bullets, but we all held our ground as determined as possible, fighting and shooting down as many Germans as we could.

"They shall all drown in their own blood!" I shouted as I fought.

"Slaughter all those who dare threaten the great Soviet Union, brave comrades!" Kamarov spoke, "Victory will be ours with our combined strength!"

We kept fighting on fiercely, shooting down riflemen and machine gunners. But as I fired my PPSH, soon after, a new enemy came into my view, where my regulars bullets would prove worthless... The steel behemoths rolled into the battlefield, firing off a few shells, revealing themselves to be Panzer IV tanks.

"Chyort!" I shouted, "Panzer!"

"Kamarov," Dimitri asked, "Are their any rockets... Something we can use for those Panzers?!"

"We have some Panzershrecks," Kamarov responded with, "In the nests just behind us! Pick one up and use them against those damned tanks!"

I aimed and gunned down two other soldiers as Dimitri and Kamarov fired their guns, striking several others. German rifle fire blazed furiously and gunned multiple Russians down, but I fired my gun back and shot several enemies in return, then Chernov gunned down another soldier. German Panzers shot off different shells that blew away some friendly troops, the shells sending broken debris and torn mangled bodies in the air in a mighty hurricane... Even so, the Russians held their ground, the line of friendly infantry firing hails of immense gunfire that cut numerous other enemies to pieces, and I contributed by shooting two more down.

Dimitri blazed covering rounds with his DP gun, allowing me to race over to one of the nests just a couple yards behind me, seeing a German Panzerschreck rocket launcher with several rockets in a box. I picked one up and fed a rocket into the back, just as a Panzer blew away another Russian nest just next to me with a might blast, the explosion tearing off the legs of the occupiers, even bursting the head off one of them... But I was not deterred as I aimed the launcher and fired, damaging the lead tank. I fed in another shell and finished off the lead Panzer to a smouldering ruin, just before he could aim his barrel at me.

"Yes, yes!" Dimitri shouted, "Burn those bastards, Viktor!"

The Germans gunned down several more friendlies in a volley of gunfire, but Dimitri fired back and shot a couple others in return. Taking out my PPSH gun, I aimed and shot two other Germans at the right, and then gunning down another two straight down. The Russians kept firing their guns, shooting multiple enemies apart, though the Germans kept fighting in vicious assaults, their furious bullets riddling our cover fiercely. But as Dimitri blazed covering rounds, I shot a few other Germans with SMG fire... But that when the second Panzer rolled in and fired shells, blasting at our cover.

Taking the opportunity, I brandished a Panzerschreck and slid a rocket into the back, aimed and fired, striking the hull of the Panzer. As I tried to load a second rocket into the launcher, however, the Panzer aimed its barrel right towards me, so I picked up and hurried off, escaping as the Panzer shot the nest I was in formerly apart. Once I got to a new position, I finished loading in the rocket and then taking aim. As the Panzer pointed its barrel right at me, I fired and struck the tank, blasting it into flames.

"Enemy Panzers are eradicated," Dimitri said, "Excellent, Reznov!"

The fighting kept up as German infantry kept up their fierce assault, and the Russians tried their best defending the line, blazing flurries of bullets at the advancing Germans. I gunned two more down while Dimitri shot a few others with DP fire. Russian gunfire cut several Germans down, but the Germans kept up their advance, firing more shots which tore down multiple Russian soldiers, though I responded by shooting several enemies with rapid PPSH fire... Still, I saw that our numbers were beginning to dwindle, and the German forces keep coming with steady numbers, so I thought it be time to move again.

I looked just behind me and saw Kamarov in a nest with a radio, another Soviet handing the mike over to him. Dimitri and I fired some intense gunfire at the Germans and then I went over to him to inquire on the situation, seeing Kamarov speak into the radio with unease.

"Chto proiskhodit tam? (What is happening over there?)" Kamarov asked as he spoke into the radio mike.

"Vrazheskaya pekhota i pulemety napadenii nashi pozitsii v zdanii postavok s tankami v podderzhku! My prosim nemedlennoy pomoshchi! (Enemy infantry and machine guns are assaulting our positions at the supply building with tanks in support! We request immediate assistance!)" the Russian soldier said frantically over the radio.

"Chyort," Kamarov said with a sigh, then spoke, "...Da, ya priyedu, kak tol'ko vozmozhno... Iz (Yes, I will arrive as soon as possible... Out)." With that, Kamarov turned to me and spoke, "Reznov, our lines are beginning to thin out here, and the supply building is under attack... We need to head over there now."

"Yes, Commissar," I responded, then turned to the others to order, "Everyone fall back to the supply building!"

As such, the Russians fired one last volley of rifle fire at the incoming Germans before leaving their posts, all running even further down the road in an organized retreat. Dimitri and I fired some covering shots at the Germans, allowing more Russians to retreat alongside Kamarov and Chernov, then we followed after them, heading down the road towards the supply building.

Dimitri and I lead the retreating Russians down the from from the front. As we moved, I slung my PPSH over my back and brandished my DP 28 gun. We all took a turn and entered onto another street, but as we did, we found numerous German infantry emerging onto the street before us from buildings and alleyways.

"Crush them!" I demanded to the others, "Burn those savage animals!"

Taking positions in the street, we all engaged the Germans in vicious street fighting, with Russian soldiers firing their guns and shooting several enemies down as the Germans blazed fiery gun shots back, and bullets flew back and forth between our two sides. Dimitri and I fired our DP 28 guns and shot several enemies to pieces and then I aimed and shot two more to the left. As the fierce skirmish in the street raged, the Germans fired hails of intense gunfire back, cutting numerous Russians down in the vicious fighting, but I aimed and shot four more enemies with intense DP fire. Dimitri then blazed covering shots while Kamarov gunned down a few other Germans with his PPSH, then Chernov aimed and shot a couple more. Several other Russians were struck down by enemy gun shots, but I aimed and gunned two more down to the right as Dimitri shot several other with his DP gun, then I riddled another two with rounds. While Dimitri and I kept blazing covering fire, raking German positions in the streets with fiery bullets, the Russians fired more rifle fire and shot multiple more Germans.

Still, the fierce fighting kept up, with German and Russian soldiers firing at each others' positions in the street. As Dimitri gunned a few more enemies down, I fired my DP gun and shot four more enemy troops in a hail of fire, then we all kept firing gun shots that raked the enemy positions to pieces. Still, the Germans kept firing their guns furiously, shooting several friendly soldiers while they still kept firing rapid bullets at our positions in the street. However, we still slowly advanced, with Kamarov and Chernov shooting down a few other Germans. The vicious fighting kept up as enemy bullets raked our positions with fury, but we all just fired back and riddled their positions with bullets and then I gunned down two enemies to the right as Dimitri shot several more with DP fire, then I struck two others with my own gun. After much more fighting raged, the Russians fired more intense gunfire that cut numerous enemies to shreds, then I aimed and shot a few others with DP fire.

"Eradicate them!" I said furiously, "Rip these bastards to shreds!"

As we kept firing on them, eventually our hard fighting paid off as we saw the enemy numbers diminish... And we just shot off a few more volleys that finished the remaining Germans in our way.

"Ha!" I exclaimed, "The vermin all fall before the might of the Red Army!"

With Dimitri and I at the front, we all charged down the street and took a turn to come out onto another street, where we saw a number of Germans before us, firing rifle fire at us as we entered the next street.

"Shit! Keep fighting, comrades!" Dimitri said.

As a few Russians were shot by German gunfire, the other friendly troops took position in the street, blazing their rifles back at the enemy troops. I shot two enemies with DP shots as Dimitri gunned several others down, but the Germans fired a hail of shots that cut several other Russians down. The fierce fighting raged on as Kamarov and Chernov blazed covering shots with their guns, striking a couple enemies, then I fired my gun and shot four other soldiers, which was followed with Dimitri gunning a few others down as well. The Germans fired their rifles and raked our positions with volleys, but we all kept firing back, Russian soldiers shooting numerous Germans with immense gunfire during the fierce skirmish, and while Russian bullets kept riddling German positions apart, I aimed and shot two more enemies straight down... The fighting soon ended in our favor as the last enemy troops were struck down by our bullets, clearing our way even further.

"Move down the street!" Dimitri ordered.

The two of us kept leading our fellow Russians down the road, taking a turn to the left and entering another street, and in the distance of this road, we saw the supply building itself, with a German Panzer blasting at the building with shells.

"There it is, comrades," Dimitri stated, "Get over there and help defend the building!"

We all rushed down the street towards the building, with me taking out my PPSH and shooting down the small group of Wehrmacht troops by the tank. Once we came near the tank, Dimitri climbed on top of it while I climbed onto the front and aimed my PPSH into the tank's viewing window, blazing a burst right into the occupants inside. This lead one tank crew member to open the hatch... And Dimitri to shoot him, then he primed an RGD 33 grenade and threw it into the tank, the burst taking out the inside. Dimitri then handed a pack of explosives to me and I placed them onto the tank's treads, the blast demobilizing it once we were safe away.

"All of you take positions here," I ordered to the men, then turned to my friend, "Dimitri, follow me."

All the Russian soldiers took position in and around the building, either from the building windows, or behind the line of sand bags ringing around the building, all aiming their guns at the area around their structure. Dimitri and I entered into the building as Kamarov took position in sandbag line, and Chernov by a window, and the two of us began entering through the corridor.

"Be careful, Dimitri," I warned, "They could be in here with us."

"Hey... Just like in Stalingrad, Viktor." Dimitri replied.

The two of us came up to a door, and once I gave the signal, Dimitri kicked it down, finding a small patrol of Germans. The two of us fired our guns into the room and shot up the few soldier inside, riddling them with bullets, their blood splattering and pouring all over the walls and floor. After this, we went back out into the hallway and came up to two doors next to each other.

"You take the right one, Dimitri." I said as I faced the left door.

Once we faced our target doors, we burst through them and entered two different rooms each, separating us... And immediately, I found a rather tough enemy in my room. A German soldier charged at me from the left, screaming at the top of his lungs as he rushed me with his rifle.

As he reached me, I seized hold of his rifle with both hands, and when we each had a firm grip, we wrestled each other fiercely for the rifle. Hard struggling ensued as we fought, trying to wrestle the rifle out of the hands of the other. I managed to hit him with the rifle's stock in the side, but he kept his grasp and we wrestled even fiercer for the rifle. After much hard fighting, we struggled over the rifle, with the enemy striking me in the stomach with the stock. I managed to keep my hands on, so we still fought, and after a great deal of vicious wrestling, the German pulled out his knife, trying to bring it down on me while I still hand both my hands busy, but I just raised the rifle barrel up and blocked his wrist from bringing the knife down on me, so we fought some more.

With our hands on the rifle and me using the weapon to block his knife, the two of us kept on wrestling very hard. Still, after much struggling, we both managed to swipe the rifle out of both our hands, but he kept his grasp on the knife. He lunged the knife at me, which struck into the wall, just behind me as I dodged the attack, then I ducked as he scrapped the knife against the wall for another attack. I seized my arms around his waist and then threw him into the wall, but before I could reach my gun, he immediately recovered and charged with the knife, but I grabbed his wrists. The two of us wrestled very hard, with me trying to push away his knife with my grip. After some hard struggling, I managed to wrestle the knife out of his hands and then I kicked him down.

As he landed on his side, I picked up the knife and turned to face him... Only to see that he had quickly drawn his Walther P38 pistol. I stood, trying to figure out my next move... Just when the door on the side wall opened with Dimitri emerging... And he quickly aimed and shot down my opponent before he could fire.

"Let us check on the supplies." Dimitri said.

Heading down the corridor, we came to the door leading into the storage. I opened the door and looked into the storage room for the supplies, and we still saw an abundance of crates and barrels, looking intact. As we came out, we found a couple of Soviets already in the building come over to us.

"Are you our reinforcements?" a Russian asked.

"Somewhat," I answered, "Your supplies appear intact... Do you have trucks?"

"Yes, we have a couple."

"Get everything you can onto those trucks and get the supplies out of here. Whatever you can't get out, leave for us to defend... If we can't have these supplies, no one will."

"Yes, sir." the Russian replied, heading into the supply storage with three others, then I turned to Dimitri.

"Germans will be coming for this building," I said to him, "We need to get back to the windows and defend this structure, and cover our men so they can get our supplies out."

The two of us headed back down the hallway, coming back to the first room, where we saw numerous Russians positioned by the windows with Chernov and many more lined outside by the sandbag line protecting the perimeter with Kamarov. Dimitri went over to one of the windows and aimed his DP gun out as I stood in the room, brandishing my own DP 28 gun.

"This is the last line of defense, comrades," I said to everyone in a commanding voice, "If this building falls, the city falls... Fight to your last breath and hold it, comrades!"

As I went over to a window, I witnessed some enemy artillery shells coming down onto the street before us, blasting some pieces off of nearby buildings... The enemy was near.

"Get ready, brave comrades," Kamarov stated, "For the glorious Soviet Union, defend the remains of this city!"

Once the artillery barrage silenced and the smoke cleared, we immediately found a great many of Germans coming down the streets and alleyways towards our supply building, ready to deliver the kill.

"Fire!" I ordered, aiming my DP gun out the window from the inside and firing a hail of gunfire at the Germans.

Immediately, a fierce battle began as all the Russian soldiers outside lining the sandbag line were firing their guns, shooting numerous enemies as, behind them, Russians by the windows inside the building blazed covering rounds that raked the enemy troops, striking several others. While the Russians were all firing their rifles from their defensive positions, hails of intense gunfire cutting down multiple Germans in vicious fighting, I fired my DP gun and shot five enemies in a hail of fire before aiming and shooting another two at the right, then Dimitri gunned down a few others. While the Russians kept firing hails of gunfire that shot numerous enemies to pieces, the Germans all fired their guns back, striking down several friendly troops, with many soldiers taking cover in the rubble and shooting a few other Russians. But we remained determined, even more so now, as I shot two more soldiers while Dimitri gunned down several others, then I shot two more. As Chernov aimed and struck down a few other enemies with precise Mosin rounds, the Russians kept firing more gun shots that riddled several enemies to bloody pieces, then I fired intense DP fire that shot six more Germans.

The fighting raged on as the Germans kept firing more immense gunfire that cut multiple Russians down, their fiery bullets raking our defenses, but the Russians lining the sandbag line and windows kept firing more furious gun shots themselves that raked the enemy troops, shooting several to shreds. Dimitri gunned down a couple other soldiers as I aimed and shot two more two the right, then I gunned down another two straight down. Chernov aimed and gunned down a couple other soldiers as Dimitri fired his gun and shot several more Germans. Enemy gunfire cut several other Russians down, but then Dimitri and I fired covering fire at enemy soldiers, the Russians fired a volley of shots back that struck many other troops down, bullets blasting their rubble cover. In the fierce fighting, I fired my gun and shot five more enemies, then Dimitri aimed and gunned down a few others. German shots raked our positions and struck a few more friendlies down, but Dimitri and I fired covering shots that allowed the Russians to return fire, shooting several enemies in return.

"Dasvidanya, you bastard!" I shouted, firing my DP gun.

Kamarov kept firing his gun from behind the sandbag line outside the building with the other Russians while Chernov fought from behind the windows with Russians inside the building. As the fighting continued, I went outside to join the sandbag line defense, Dimitri following me.

"Fight, comrades!" Dimitri shouted, "Drive these bastards back!"

Taking position in the sandbag line, I aimed and shot two more Germans as Dimitri gunned down a few others. The Russians lining the sandbag line all kept firing hails of gunfire, cutting numerous enemies down, though the Germans fired their guns back from rubble cover and the street, shooting several friendlies in return. As Russians inside the building behind us blazed covering rounds that struck the enemy positions, Kamarov aimed and shot several enemies with rapid PPSH fire. Dimitri gunned down a few other soldiers while I fired my gun, cutting six more enemies with intense DP fire, then the Russians fired more shots that gunned several more enemies down. The Germans kept firing immense gunfire back, shooting numerous Russians down, but Dimitri fired some fiery shots that cut several enemies in return. I aimed and shot two more soldiers, then as Dimitri and Kamarov blazed covering shots, I gunned down two more. The ferocious skirmish raged on as the Russians shot many other Germans with their rifle fire, then Dimitri and I fired our guns and shot several more.

Furious bullets flew everywhere in frightening volleys within the vicious fighting, and blood spilled all over the streets. The Russians fired some intense shots that gunned several enemies down as I aimed and shot two others, then Dimitri fired and cut a few others down with DP bullets. However, the Germans fired hails of intense gunfire back and shot down multiple Russians, but we were still undeterred as Kamarov fired and gunned a few other Germans, then I fired and shot five more in a hail of DP fire. Dimitri aimed and shot several more enemy troops as I gunned down another two, then the Russians all fired their guns and shot numerous enemies to pieces. Kamarov blazed covering rounds that allowed me to shoot two others, then Dimitri and I fired our DP guns and shot a few more enemies down, and the vicious fighting raged on... But not for too long.

"Chyort, they're still coming!" a Russian said.

As Dimitri and I kept firing our guns, I noticed that we were indeed losing. Many Russians fell from enemy bullets and as we kept fighting and killing enemies, more came in to replace them. Our numbers were dwindling and supplies were running very thin... I started losing my faith, especially as Kamarov came to me.

"Sergeant Reznov," Kamarov stated, "We can't hold out any longer... The city is lost."

Looking around, I then shouted to everyone, "...All men, begin retreat... Fall back from the city!"

Though they seemed to have some hesitation, the men slowly began leaving their posts and falling back down the road, heading out of the city... We had to concede defeat.

"Did we get most of the supplies out?" I asked.

"Yes, most of it got out," Kamarov said, "But the Germans are trying to surround us."

"Destroy what's left and then you and Chernov take most of the men out of here down the Eastern road... Dimitri and I will take the rest and fight our way out to the South East, see if we can get some of the Germans after us to ease your escape."

"I will do so, comrade," Kamarov said, then spoke to the others, "Units A and B, follow me... Troop C, you follow Sergeant Reznov... We need to leave the city now!"

Kamarov and Chernov both at the front, were leading most of the men down the street to the East, hopefully where they would meet little to no resistance on the way out. As they did so, Dimitri and I urged the rest of the men towards the South Eastern street.

"Let's get out of here, comrades!" I ordered to them.

"Davai, davai! (Come on, come on!) another Russian said.

We all began heading down the South East street, leaving the remains of the supply building behind. As we ran down the road, we encountered more Germans, emerging from the buildings and alleyways to confront us, and I wielded my PPSH once again to engage.

"Fight our way out of the city!" I said.

Immediately, the Russians with us, Dimitri and I were all firing our guns at enemy resistance in the way as we moved down the street, shooting down any Germans in the street and building windows to the sides in fierce skirmishes. I shot two enemies in the street, then aimed and gunned down another in a building. The Russians fired gun shots that cut several enemies down, then Dimitri shot a couple others while I gunned down another in a window. Still, the Germans fired tense gun shots that struck down a few friendlies with us, and in return, I fired some rapid PPSH fire that gunned two more enemies straight down, then I shot another to the right of the street as Dimitri shot a few others, then we turned onto another road.

A couple more Russians were struck by gunshots, but a midst the bullets, we all fired furious gunfire back and cut several enemies down in return as we moved further up the street. I gunned down another to the left while Dimitri shot a couple more, then I aimed and shot two others with rapid bullets. The Russians with us kept firing intense gunfire that shot multiple Germans down in the streets, allowing us to move onto another street, where I aimed and gunned down another in a building window. German gun shots blazed back that struck a few friendlies down, but I aimed and shot another soldier to the left, then I fired more PPSH shots that gunned two others down. As Dimitri shot a couple more, I gunned down one other in a building window.

"You were nothing!" a Russian said, remarking about the enemy.

"Die, you Kraut bastard!" another Russian said as he shot a German.

Taking a turn and coming onto another street, we encountered some more enemies. As the Russians blazed gunfire on the German positions, I aimed and gunned down two enemies in a building window, then I fired rapid shots that cut four other enemies down in the street. Dimitri gunned down a couple others while I shot one more to the left. German gunfire blazed all around, shooting a few other Russians down, but as I aimed and shot two more in the street, then gunned down another in a window, the Russians fired rifle shots back, striking several more enemies down in the vicious fighting. We then came onto another street where more Germans awaited us. Taking position by some rubble, I aimed and shot one in a window, though German rounds blazed and struck a couple Russians down. As Dimitri blazed covering shots, I shot two more in the street, then gunned down another to the right... But more enemies came out to engage us further.

"Chyort, more Germans!" a Russian noted.

"Cut them all down," another Russian said, "Fight our way out!"

"Burn the svoloches!" a third Russian stated.

I aimed and shot two other soldiers as the Russians fired shun shots that raked the German positions, striking several enemies down, then I gunned down another one to the left. The Germans fired their rifles, however, and shot several more friendlies down, but Dimitri and I fired our guns, with me shooting four soldiers while Dimitri gunned down a couple others. We went onto another street to find some more enemies, where I fired my gun and shot two, but the Germans fired hails of shots back, taking down a small few of my colleagues. Dimitri gunned down a couple other troops as I shot another one in a windows, then the other Russians fired their rifles and shot a few more enemies as I gunned down one more. The Germans all fired another spray of bullets, but dodged them with cover behind a piece of rubble, and while Dimitri blazed covering fire, I aimed and shot two more enemies before aiming to the right to shoot one more.

Coming onto another street to find another wave of Germans, we took positions in the rubble on the street and fired our guns on them. As I gunned down two others to the right and then shot one more to the left, Dimitri blazed rounds that struck down a couple others, though the Germans fired shots back and cut a few Russians down. I aimed and shot another in a building and then gunned down two more straight ahead, then gunned down another to the right. A midst the fighting, the Russians fired gun shots that cut several enemies down while Dimitri shot a few more, and after I gunned down another in a window, we moved onto another street. There, the Germans fired on us, but I fired PPSH shots that gunned four enemies down while Dimitri shot a couple others.

"He was on the wrong side!" a Russian remarked about the Germans.

We kept fighting down the streets until we emerged into the outskirts, where German resistance was beginning to thin. While the Russians blazed covering fire, Dimitri and I fired gun shots that cut several enemies down, clearing our way out... It seemed like we would escape rather easily... That is, until we heard rumbling.

"What the Hell is that sound?" a Russian said.

"...Viktor?" Dimitri said, wary.

That rumbling immediately turned into a crash behind us... A Panzer IV, smashing through a house with its terrifying might, and it already spotted us, aiming its fearsome barrel over towards us.

"Shit! Panzer!" Dimitri shouted.

"Run!" I ordered.

As we had no way of destroying it, we ran together down the street, trying to escape the tank, and the steel behemoth gave chase, rolling in after us. In a tense pursuit, the Russians, Dimitri and I ran down a couple roads with fury, running as fast as we could, as the Panzer chased us down with just as much fury, hellbent on hunting us like a wolf hunting its prey.

As we moved down the road, we encountered several other Germans emerging from houses, blazing their bullets on us. I aimed and shot two down in the street as Dimitri gunned down a few others, then I riddled another in a building window with rounds. As Dimitri fired covering shots, I gunned down two more enemies, but then the tank appeared behind us, blasting off a shell that just missed us and hit the ground nearby.

"Keep moving, men!" I shouted.

We all kept running hurriedly down the roads, the Panzer pursuing us. I could hardly catch my breath as I ran, but I just kept rushing out with the others. Eventually we reached past the last houses and emerged into the grasses on the edge of the city, hoping to get to the trees just a short distance away... Dimitri and I turned around and fired our guns back at our pursuers, striking down a few enemies, but the tank came in and shot off another shell that stuck a building just near us... Something had to be done.

"Dimitri, You take the men and make your way into the trees," I said, "I'll provide a distraction for that tank."

"...But, Viktor..." Dimitri said, worried.

"Get them out now." I said sternly.

"...Yes, sir..." Dimitri said hesitantly, turning to the men, "This way men!"

I watched Dimitri lead the other men across the grass, heading towards the trees. As I saw them leave, my mind knew exactly what to answer him, as I thought, _I'll be okay... We always survive_.

Still, I couldn't rest, as the tank came out from the building, trying to aim its barrel towards Dimitri. I had to get the attention of that armor, so I took out a Molotov cocktail, lit the tip and threw it at the tank, the bottle breaking and splashing flames onto the side... And this was enough, as the tank turned towards me, and I began to run.

The Panzer rolled after me, aiming to crush me under its treads. But I ran and made my way behind the wall of a house, trying to hide their so the tank couldn't spot me. The steel beast followed after, searching for me with its barrel, but I moved around the walls, trying to keep away. Eventually, it seemed to have lost me, and I looked at the forest to see that Dimitri had escaped... But the pursuing tank couldn't just lose us, it had to be destroyed.

I looked over, trying to find a weapon, up until I saw a tower just several meters away in the middle of the grass. I looked through my binoculars to see something leaning against the inside of the tower platform, something that looked like a tube... Possibly a rocket launcher.

I took that chance and ran over to the tower, climbing my way up the ladder and entering the platform. Once I was up, I could see the tank below me, circling to find its prey. I took out my binoculars and saw into the city with them, seeing German soldiers moving down the streets, and on one street, I saw German soldiers aiming their rifles at captured Russians and cruelly gunning them down in a ruthless execution, their bullets spilling their blood against the walls... And as I looked with anger at the slaughter, I looked over through the lenses and found an interesting sight... An SS officer, with a firm, youthful appearance and blond hair, looking through binoculars of his own, then turning them to face over to my direction... As if he was looking right at me.

I lowered my binoculars and saw that their was indeed a Panzershreck on the platform. I took the launcher and loaded a rocket into the back before quietly aiming it out the window, tailing after the back of the Panzer... I concentrated my aim as I aimed the launcher, and once I was precise, I fired, striking the armor right in the back and setting it ablaze, bursting the backside open.

I was just about to celebrate... But the tank wasn't done yet. In one last move, the Panzer started to turn and drive forward, a bit uncontrollably, as it headed right for my tower... And as much as I tried to count on my luck, the tank smashed right through the legs of the tower. The structure began to slowly tilt, and under the splintering wood, it gained speed as it quickly fell over with me inside... Until there was a great crash.

A midst the broken wood of the crashed tower, I lay on the ground, becoming dazed... Then everything went dark.


	11. Escaping the Darkness

... ...

...I awoke from my sleep in a daze, and when my vision cleared, I was speechless... I was surrounded by destruction... There were charred remains of splintered wood and burst rubble, houses were wrecked and set aflame, the grass around me was burning, and the air reeked of boiling steel of destroyed vehicles and smoke of bullets that had blazed... But most of all, was the stench and blood of my fellow comrades, whom I saw strewn in several spots, with pieces of bone and flesh splattered about.

As I looked in sadness at the loss of the men, I began to see something more startling, German soldiers coming out of the streets to patrol the area. I picked up my knife and my PPSH and ran over to hide behind a couple trees, dodging their view. When they weren't looking, I dashed over to another tree, where I heard some noise, and I ran over to hide behind some rubble to see a grisly sight happening behind a building... Numerous Russian prisoners being lined up, all sad, yet quiet, as several German soldiers aimed their Kar 98k rifles and MP 40 guns at them, blazing sprays of fiery bullets that cut the prisoners all down in a very cruel and bloody execution.

Just next to them, German riflemen took turns shooting a small group of captured Russians, summarily executing them like animals, until two remained... Those two were finished off by crude stabs with bayonets. There were three others who were riddled with bullets, trying to crawl away, but a German with an MP 40 aimed and shot two of them dead, while a rifleman came up to the third and thrust his bayonet into the back of the third, twisting the blade until the Russian was dead... Then the Germans began to walk off, a couple remaining to light and smoke cigarettes.

I was infuriated by this execution of my comrades, but I knew there was nothing I could do for them... I needed to get out of here, find Dimitri, get back to Kamarov... If they were still alive.

The day entered its evening, so it started getting dark out, which could help conceal my movements at least. I hid behind a couple other trees as a few Germans walked by, moving my self as they inspected my trees, trying to stay out of their sight. Once they walked off I rushed over to another tree, crouching down as a couple other Germans walked by, then I made my way over to a larger grouping of trees.

Once I entered the forest like area, I hid behind a large tree... But once I peered around it, I saw numerous Germans walking through the forest, patrolling the area. I crouched down, hiding in the trees and grasses as the Germans walked by. I slowly moved through the bushes and hid behind different trees as several other Germans walked past, some inspecting the area surrounding my position, and making me move out of their view.

I kept hiding behind trees and bushes and quietly evading patrolling Germans, trying to keep out of their view. Two Germans came over near my bush and looked to inspect it, but I hid thoroughly in it, and after waiting, they eventually walked away. A few more Germans followed as the large patrol walked away, allowing me to rush past and get to another tree next to a creek, where I peered around and saw a group of Germans near a truck. Three were sitting on crates playing cards while the other two were dragging bodies of dead Russian soldiers off the truck's bed and throwing them into the creek... I listened in on their conversation.

"Helfen Sie mir mit diesem, ja? (Help me with this, will you?)" a German said.

"Warum sind wir selbst löschte hier, genau in diesem verdammten Wald... Ich habe keine Russkis für Meilen zu sehen. (Why are we even put out here, right in this damned forest... I don't see any Russkis for miles.)" a second German stated.

"Ich bin am Verhungern ... Wann wird Rudolph zurück mit etwas zu essen bekommen? (I'm starving... When will Rudolph get back with some food?)" said a third German.

"Ich denke, wir hier gedreht zu viele von ihnen. (I think we shot too many of them here.)" the first German said.

"Wen interessiert das? Diese slawischen Tiere glücklich sind alles, was wir taten, war schießen sie. (Who cares? These Slavic animals are lucky all we did is shoot them.) said the second German.

I laid down and moved across a line of bush, trying to keep them from noticing, and once I was clear, I stood up and moved to another tree. There, I saw a German just near me with his back turned, lighting a cigarette. As he stood there, I took out my knife and went up to him slowly, just before with sharp speed, I wrapped my wrapped my hand over his mouth from behind, and sliced his throat with my knife, just before quietly discarding the body.

Once I came up to another set of trees, however, I saw out into an open field, seeing the outskirts of a small village... Where I found an absolutely horrible sight... Wehrmacht troops in their regular grey uniforms were there along with more deadly Waffen SS soldiers, noticeable by their dotted green camouflage all standing with their guns ready, before a large group of Russian civilians, possibly hundreds, all terrified. Behind them, an SS officer was giving orders to the troops for their next action.

...This action came when the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS soldiers all aimed their rifles and machine guns at the group of civilians, and before the Russians could even become alert, the Germans all fired their guns, blazing furious hails of bullets that were brutally cutting the numerous civilians to pieces, the bullets spilling their blood all over the grass. The German soldiers kept shooting at the civilians, gunning any remaining down. Some tried to flee, but the Germans just aimed and shot them down as well. Some Germans shot off pieces of flesh and shot civilians multiple times, torturing them with their rounds. Others were crudely stabbed with bayonets, while many more got shot down by German bullets in a very bloody, cruel massacre.

I watched with deep fury, trying hard to contain myself, but I couldn't do anything, I could only see as the remaining civilians were shot dead in a pool of blood, those trying to crawl away only getting themselves killed by further bullets and bayonet stabs.

I then looked over to the left, where I saw another SS officer in black clothing, a youthful looking one with blond hair and deep blue eyes... That same one I saw through my binoculars when I was in that tower... That officer was standing in front of four captured Russian soldiers on their knees, with a second officer with glasses and a mustache standing next to him. The SS officer, then brandished his pistol, a Luger P08, aimed and fired at each prisoner, ruthlessly executing the captured soldiers with such icy sadism. He then walked over to a tree, where I saw that a fifth soldier, a young one, likely only sixteen or even fifteen, was standing on a chair, a rope tied around his neck with the other end tied to a branch above. The SS officer looked at the boy with a twisted smile relishing in the slaughter, just before he placed his jack boot on the chair and kicked it away, sending the boy dangling from the neck... And the SS officer just watched in pleasure as the boy struggled for air... And then stopped, becoming lifeless... I still couldn't do anything, so I was forced to move on.

I moved through the trees as I saw another wave of Germans coming through. I hid behind two large trees, seeing Germans walking past as I crouched down, crawling against the ground next to a line of bushes, just as Germans walked on the other side. I hid behind another tree as a couple other Germans walked by, slowly keeping out of view as they watched the tree, then I kept on moving through the bushes and grass.

I found another German standing before me, idly holding holding his rifle, looking around. I slowly walked up behind the man, quickly wrapping my arm around his throat from behind before stabbing him violently in the back of the neck, angrily twisting the blade until I pulled it out and threw away the corpse.

I hid in some bush as a small patrol of Germans walked through, then continuing on a small pathway... Right until a German appeared on the other end of the path as I came toward the end, becoming alert to my presence... And just as he raised his gun, suddenly, a figure... A Russian soldier... Emerged from the tree next to him, seized his arm around the German's throat and slice his neck with a knife. As I came up to the figure, who put away his knife and wielded a PPSH gun, I became very relieved when I saw his face... It was Dimitri.

"Dimitri." I called out to him.

"...Viktor," Dimitri said, looking surprised before becoming cheerful, "...It is you, you made it out." Smiling, the two of us hugged one another, joyfully relieved to have found each other still alive and well.

"I'm very glad your okay, Dimitri," I said, "What happened to the others?"

"They got out all right, I think," Dimitri replied with, "I held a position in a tree, covering them so they could escape... That's why I'm all alone."

"So how do we get out of here... If you have any idea?"

"Um... I heard there's friendly camp about twenty five miles South East of here... It's a start, but we'll have to move quickly, for I also heard their evacuating the camp... Command is pulling forces back further into Soviet territory."

"Well, then let's get moving, shall we."

We headed further up a pathway, where we encountered several other Germans patrolling the area. "Patrol," Dimitri noted, "Let them pass." We hid behind some trees as a platoon of Germans walked by, then headed down the pathway again, maneuvering through the trees, evading more German soldiers, and then we came upon two enemies standing on the pathway.

"They're in our way," Dimitri stated, "Aim for the one on the right, and fire when ready."

Taking heed, We both aimed our guns at our chosen targets, and after a brief moment of silence, we fired, quickly shooting them down, allowing us to move forward. Once we came out of the path, we came onto a road, but Dimitri held his arm out to stop.

"German vehicle coming," Dimitri said, "Stay out of sight."

We hid in some bushes and trees as we saw an Opel Blitz truck drive past, and they were followed by a platoon of German soldiers running after, a couple dogs with them... Once they were gone, we ran across the road and took position in the trees, and as we moved to another tree position, another patrol came around, several Germans with dogs walking with them.

"Let them pass," Dimitri said. We waited behind the tree as the soldiers and dogs searched the area, moving through the trees as German soldiers walked just by us, within distance so short I could reach out and touch... The problem though, was the dogs sniffing the area, hunting for their masters... Luckily, they didn't spot us and moved on, allowing us to move on as well. Going up the path, we encountered a German standing near a tree, causing Dimitri to say, "That svoloch is watching the road, we can't move unless he's gone... Shoot him down."

I aimed my gun and fired, gunning down the enemy soldier, then we moved up further, almost nearing the path as we came onto a grassy area laden with a wheat field. "We should be getting close to the road." Dimitri said.

However, as as we came out of the trees into the large wheat stalks, we noticed another presence among us in the wheat, soldiers approaching in green camouflage.

"Shit, Waffen SS," Dimitri said, "There's a swarm of them... Hide in the wheat field and follow me."

I remained behind him as we hid among the wheat... And that's when the SS troops passed, looking like shadows in the stalks. They were within touching distance as they brushed past me. I even had to slowly move so they wouldn't accidentally step into my direction. We waited nervously, but it paid off, as the last of the patrol went by, allowing us to move even further.

Upon entering another row of trees, we hid behind a couple trunks as we gazed on the other side... Finding yet another atrocity being committed... There was a large group of civilians, our innocent fellow countrymen, lined in the field we gazed at, with Germans aiming their guns at them. The civilians at the front of the group staring down the Germans all seemed to be holding hands with one another, remaining defiant... Just as the Germans blazed sprays of gunfire into them, bloodily cutting them all to pieces. One by one, countless victims fell, and the Germans kept shooting them until they were all dead... I watched in anger, both at the act and that neither of us could do anything, and Dimitri shared this feeling as I looked at him.

"I assure you, my friend," I told him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "This savage invasion of theirs on our country will cost them dearly with their own lives... With their blood."

"...Yes," Dimitri said, "...We should keep moving."

We moved down the trees until moving across a road, checking it to make sure it was clear first, and then we both went down a somewhat long pathway, where we found no Germans. As we brushed past a few trees, we came across a cabin sitting in the area. "We should check that cabin for any others." Dimitri said, and the two of us walked over towards the building.

"Be careful, Dimitri." I warned.

Slowly approaching the cabin door, we thrust it open and entered, aiming our guns in... Where we found nothing.

"Well, that's it." I said.

The two of us turn towards the exit, and found ourselves suddenly staring down the barrels of FG 42 guns aiming right at us as they were being wielded by three German soldiers, and ones I found unlucky to see... These ones were just like those same, very powerful Germans I faced in the train station, with their black M 40 tunics, their grey buttoned smocks and their balaclavas. These three German soldiers all aimed their guns at us furiously, just itching to shoot us down... But not until they got the order from their commander, who walked in through the door after them, coming in to greet us.

As I watched him come in as a ghost emerging from fog, I immediately recognized him as I saw him clearly... His youthful face with piercing blue eyes and a firm build, for it was that exact same SS officer I saw through the binoculars at the fighting at Kharkov, and when I saw him hang that young soldier earlier. I looked at him with anger and contempt as he held a cheerful and sinister expression, taking off his cap to show his blonde hair, bangs swept to the left side of his head.

"Well, well," the SS officer said, "What prey have I come hunted today?"

"You savage!" I shouted as I took a step towards the man, but I was stopped by Dimitri grabbing my arm and two of the enemy soldiers aiming directly at me, as well as the officer, who just kept his calm and fearless cool with a smile, keeping a hold over his holster.

"No, now, comrade... I see you are a feisty one, hm," the SS officer spoke rather calmly, "But, you'd be better watching your step." I kept my angry glare at the man, who just retained a calm sinister smile as he kept speaking, "You like what we've all done with the place... I think it gives a new air for this country of yours."

"You murdered them." I said through my teeth.

"We're just cleaning this place up, and making way for Improvements... Maybe you can come by and visit once we're all finished, It'll be my treat."

"You'll never win," I remarked defiantly, "We will drive you out."

"Perhaps... But I'd sure like to give you a terrific show before we leave. You've earned it for just how hard you've all been working, and believe me, I think you'll find it very entertaining... So, how is your day? Eventful, interesting?"

"Viktor... What now?" Dimitri whispered to me.

"Be quiet, Dimitri," I replied, "Don't tell him anything."

"Viktor, Dimitri?" the SS officer spoke, "You wouldn't happen to be Viktor Reznov... And Dimitri Petrenko, yes?" We both just glared at him with more intensity, making him brighten with a more twisted smile, "You _are_ , aren't you... Well, how lucky am I, hm... Wonderful."

"...You know of us?" Dimitri asked suspiciously.

"Oh, of course I have," the SS officer replied, placing a hand softly on Dimitri's cheek, which made him slightly shudder, "You two are only the "Heroes of Stalingrad" themselves... With you more so, Dimitri."

"That is correct," I said, "He is a hero... And we'll keep hunting you until you're eradicated."

"Well then," the SS officer said, drawing his Luger P08, "It would be a liability to the Fuhrer's army to have you continue helping the Soviets," the officer then aimed his pistol at us, "...So enjoy it, Viktor."

Dimitri and I stood there, looking at the pistol barrel, preparing to accept out end... This was it apparently... As soon as the officer aimed his pistol at us, suddenly, a massive explosion hit the wall from the outside. We ducked as the fiery burst tore the wall away and knocked the officer and his three soldiers to the ground, just as the officer pulled the trigger, with the bullet flying into a wall instead.

"Move it, Dimitri!" I shouted, and then two of us picked up our PPSH guns and climbed our way out through the hole in the wall. I noticed that their was a smoke trail leading to the hole, which showed that the explosion was made by a rocket fired from a launcher... Someone was nearby, likely on our side.

"That trail shows that came from a rocket," Dimitri said, "There might be Russians around here."

Upon exiting the cabin, we looked to our left and found regular Waffen SS troops alerted to our presence. Four of them came at us, but Dimitri and I shot them down with rapid SMG fire, and then we continued on down the road.

We ran further past the trees, rushing as fast as we could as more and more Waffen SS soldiers chased after us, blazing a flurry of rounds that split through the trees. We evaded the incoming fire and took cover by the trees, then we both aimed and fired on our pursuers. I aimed and furiously shot three SS soldiers as Dimitri blazed covering rounds, then I fired again and gunned down another two. Dimitri aimed and shot a couple others as I gunned down two more. We both dodged more incoming bullets, and as Dimitri blazed more cover rounds, I aimed and struck another SS soldier with bullets, then Dimitri shot one other. I dodged another spray of bullets, then I fired and shot two others, just before throwing an RGD 33 grenade at the enemy, the blast taking out a couple of the SS soldiers pursuing us.

The firefight was intense, and these Waffen SS troops were more relentless than the regular Wehrmacht... But we could still handle them. One reason was that I fought even fiercer against them... All the German forces that came into Russia acted savagely, but these SS troops were even more murderous, the ones behind most of the slaughter of the innocent... I would fight with more ferocious anger to make them pay.

After Dimitri shot two more and I gunned three others down with furious SMG fire, we dodged another wave of enemy rounds as we moved further down the road. As we started running, Dimitri turned around and fired a couple bursts back at our pursuers, then he began running down the road again as I aimed and shot another to the right, then gunned down one more straight back. I then went up to another at the left who tried to swing his gun at me, but I sliced him down with my knife first.

We moved further down the road, running from the German bullets that chased us. Dimitri turned and fired rounds that struck a couple soldiers down, then I turned and gunned down one to the left before shooting two more to the right, then gunning one more straight away down as Dimitri ran over to a tree, blazing covering rounds and allowing me to run further up the road, then Dimitri shot one more SS soldier.

We both ran further down the road, and I turned to face the enemy chasing us, shooting one more soldier as Dimitri ran further up, with me following after. The two of us ran over to some trees, Dimitri taking position as he fired rounds that struck a couple others down, allowing me to move up to a tree and shoot down one other. The SS soldiers kept blazing intense rounds that flew past, ripping through the trees... But we reloaded our guns and, then we both aimed and fired, shooting several SS soldiers to pieces in a spray of bullets, then I aimed to the right to shoot a few others down. Dimitri blazed covering rounds that allowed me to move up, then I turned and shot another SS trooper, allowing Dimitri to follow me, and together, we both ran up the road even faster.

"We're almost out of the trees," I said, rather joyfully, "Keep moving, Dimitri!"

We almost neared the end of the road, where we saw there would be no more trees. An SS soldier came out from behind a tree and tried to use his MP 40 as a club, but I took out my knife and slashed him down while Dimitri aimed and gunned down another. I then fired and shot two others down while Dimitri blazed some cover and then we ran down the road... Then we finally passed the trees and entered an open ground, a ditch just before us.

"Where's our comrades," Dimitri said, "We followed the direction of the smoke trail."

That's right when we noticed two vehicles running in the distance to the right, Opel Blitz trucks... They quickly drove up towards us and parked near the other side of the ditch... But before I could feel defeated, I felt relief as Russian soldiers armed with PPSH-41 guns and PPS-42 guns jumped out of the back of the two trucks, but even more joyous when a man I instantly recognized stepped out of the driver's side of the first truck with a PPSH in hand... Lieutenant Mikhail Vylkalev himself.

"Mikhail," I said cheerfully as I ran up to him with Dimitri, "You're alive."

"You'll find it difficult to get rid of me." Vylkalev replied, then ordered to his men, "Form a defensive perimeter around the trucks! Use that ditch for cover!"

With that, the Russian soldiers all formed a defensive perimeter around us and the trucks, most of the Russians lining the ditch and aiming their rifles at the trees while some others took positions by the sides of the truck, also aiming their guns at the trees. In one of the trucks' beds, a Russian mounted a Maxim gun, ready to lay suppression on any incoming adversaries. Dimitri and I placed ourselves near a truck next to Vylkalev, also aiming our guns and ready to face those trying to hunt us... And when the pursuing Waffen SS troops emerged from the trees, they were all too surprised to find our new guardians.

"Open fire," Vylkalev ordered, "Send them all to Hell!"

The Russians were all firing their guns, blazing flurries of gunfire that cut numerous Waffen SS troops down, while the friendly soldiers by the trucks blazed intense covering fire that gunned down several others, with the Maxim gun on the truck's bed blazing rounds that pinned the enemy troops. I aimed and gunned two enemies down by some trees, then I fired more rapid fire that shot four others while Dimitri gunned a few others down with PPSH shots and Vylkalev blazed tense cover rounds. The Russian soldiers kept firing intense gun shots that cut several enemies to pieces as I shot two more, then Dimitri gunned down a couple others as I struck another SS soldier down with rapid bullets. A grenade took out another SS soldier in a blast as Vylkalev blazed fire that gunned down several others, then I fired intense gunfire that shot four more. The Russians fired more immense gun shots that cut multiple SS soldiers to bloody pieces, with the friendlies by the trucks blazing shots that riddled a few more with bullets, and as Dimitri shot a couple other SS soldiers, I gunned down two more as the Russian mounting the Maxim gun kept blazing suppressing rounds from the bed of the Opel Blitz truck.

The Waffen SS troops kept coming, blazing furious rounds intending to finish their hunt. But we kept them at bay with tense suppressing fire, with me shooting four more soldiers with SMG fire. The Russian on the Maxim gun kept blazing shots that raked the enemy advance, while the Russians fired their SMG guns and shot multiple more Waffen SS troopers. The enemy soldiers fired shots that raked at our positions back, but Vylkalev gunned down a couple SS as Dimitri fired and nailed a few enemies, then Vylkalev shot a couple more. I shot two others to the right, then as Dimitri fired cover shots, I fired and nailed four more enemies with PPSH fire. As the Waffen SS kept firing shots at us, as Dimitri and Vylkalev fired cover, the Russian soldiers all fired gunfire that cut numerous enemies to pieces. I then gunned down two more enemies to the left as the Russian on the Maxim gun blazed rounds that pushed the SS troopers back, then I shot two others to the right... Eventually, our defense was too much for the Waffen SS soldiers, and they started running back into the forest.

"Raze all these savage svoloches!" Vylkalev said.

It was a vicious skirmish, and as the fierce fighting raged, it was clearly in our favor, for the Waffen SS troops that came in to engage were gunned down until they were gone, retreating back into the forest... We were done here, which meant we had to pack up and get out of here fast.

"Men, gather your weapons and get on the trucks," Vylkalev ordered, "We're leaving!"

"Were you the one who fired that rocket," Dimitri asked as he and I walked over to Vylkalev, "Over by that cabin?"

"I saw you were in trouble and I intervened," Vylkalev responded, "So we mounted a rescue... We need to leave, before more Germans arrive."

All the Russians picked up their equipment and they started climbing onto the two trucks with them, and we started hearing faint shouts in German, so we had to move faster. With all the Russians sitting on the beds of the trucks, Dimitri climbed into the passenger seat of one truck as a driver entered the other side, then I went into the passenger side of the other truck as Vylkalev took the wheel. Once all the Russians were on board the trucks, we started driving down the road to the South East, rushing at great speed.

As our trucks sped down the road, Vylkalev turned to me as he drove and started speaking, "Viktor, I think you'll find that German officer back there to be interesting."

"You know something about him?" I asked.

"Yes... And those soldiers you faced at the Kharkov train station... Those were his men."


	12. M-5: Stepping Stone

_Our campaign in the Gilbert Islands ended in great success, eliminating the Japanese forces in the South Pacific, now we moved up to islands in the Central Pacific, closer to Japan itself. We entered into the Mariana Islands, and as opposed to the flat atolls we faced earlier, these islands were more mountainous and jungle filled, and the Japs were beginning to plan their defenses in depth... We're making a fierce assault on the island of Saipan, which is defended by a strong enemy force of 32,000 troops, and we expect very hard fighting when we strike... But these Marines that I'm with are very brave fighters, and we're determined on crushing all of the Japanese garrison on the island... Every last one of them._

 **'Stepping Stone'  
**

 **Saipan Island, Marianas  
**

 **June 15, 1944**

 **Pvt. Edric Henderson**

 **2nd Marine Division**

As an island, it was still hot and humid, though Saipan was filled with jungle, not like Tarawa, which was all sand... Our invasion of the island was underway... I crouched down on the ground, holding an M1 Garand rifle as a Thompson gun was slung across my back, with Chris Miller to the right of me wielding his BAR rifle and Sullivan to the left with a Thompson of his own, keeping his trench gun on his back. We crouched behind a short mound lining across the field before us, and behind us was a huge swathe of countless Marines armed to the teeth with M1 Garand rifles, Thompson guns and BAR assault rifles, with several tanks, M4 Shermans, stationed next to them in support, and a couple machine gun emplacements put in behind us as well, all of us crouching behind the short mound line stretching across the field.

Before us was a large field, filled with tropical grass mostly short while tall in some spots and several different palm trees placed around the field. In the background, we could view the mountains and dense jungle that made up the island... What we were facing, was a hill stretching across the field on the side opposite of us, and at the top of the hill, was a long defensive line filled with Japanese infantry, riflemen and machine gunners filling the trench lining the top of the hill, ready to rain fire down on any who dare come near... There was also a barricade of barbed wire and tank traps lining the bottom of the enemy hill.

The Japanese had several different machine gun emplacements, Type 99 guns, positioned at different points along the trench while infantry armed mostly with Arisaka rifles and others with Type 100 guns lined the rest of the defensive line. Behind them, were a few Type 97 Chi Ha tanks, also ready to defend, which I saw as I fixed my bayonet onto the lug of my Garand rifle.

Even with this hard defensive line, however, we dared to attack... As several Japanese artillery shells smashed down on the field before us, we got ready to charge.

"Everyone, get your guns ready and loaded," Sullivan said, "We'll be moving out soon."

"We'll give those bastards one Hell of a surprise." Miller said, excited.

"Our target is that hill," Sullivan kept speaking, "Once we take out their defenses on the hill, we move inland to strike those artillery guns on the hill to the left."

"Be careful, Eddie," Miller said to me, then turned to Sullivan, "Tom, we're counting on you."

"I'll do my best as always, Chris," Sullivan replied, "Just prepare to move out across the field, strike the hill, and stay close to me... Good luck, boys."

All the countless Marines behind us kept a firm hold on their guns. Most nervous, but we all retained an air of determination, all bent on taking the island... Especially when the whistle sounded just now, signalling for us to charge forth across the field.

"Move it," a Marine shouted, "Move across the field!"

"Let's get those fucking Japs!" another Marine shouted.

Immediately, we all emerged from the short mound line, and as I ran with Miller and Sullivan, all the Marines were then charging across the field, shouting as they rushed to engage the Japanese force.

Once we started moving, and reach about one third down the large field, the Japanese defensive line started blazing hails of gunfire that rained down on us, immense enemy machine gun and rifle fire cutting numerous Marines down. Powerful enemy bullets ripped bloody limbs off of several charging Marines, leaving pools of blood and pieces of flesh on the grass as the Japanese kept firing hails of intense gunfire that tore down multiple other Marines. Vicious fighting erupted as we Marines kept charging across the grassy field and past different palm trees, with Japanese gunfire bloodily gunning several more friendlies to shreds, but even so, we kept on charging forth, with Sherman tanks rolling in next to us in the midst of this most brutal fighting.

As the Japanese defensive line kept firing more furious gunfire that cut numerous Marines down, Miller, Sullivan and I charged across the field as bravely as the Marines with us kept doing so, using the different palm trees for cover. As they charged, with many getting shot by machine gun fire, numerous Marines fired their guns back at the Japanese defenses, their furious bullets raking the enemy positions, though a couple friendly tanks were blasted apart by Japanese artillery shells that pounded the field. As many Marines blazed gun shots as they charged, other friendlies fired supporting fire from behind the cover of palm trees, their bullets blasting away at the Japanese line, likely striking a few enemy soldiers down, and the fierce fighting raged on as we charged forth across the grassy field, braving the hails of Japanese gunfire and firing shots back.

"Shit," a Marine shouted, "Fucking machine gun fire!"

"Move across this fucking field!" another Marine ordered.

"Fire on those bastards!" a third Marine said.

Numerous other Marines were shot to bloody pieces by intense enemy gunfire as they charged across the grassy field, their limbs and bloody flesh spilling onto the grass after being torn off by bullets and explosions. A few men were crawling about, searching for their lost limbs, as some who lost arms screamed in pain and others who had legs torn off crawled away. Still, we charged, with more Marines firing intense gunfire back at the Japanese defenses, raking their positions and even gunning down several enemy soldiers. I charged across the field as multiple other Marines were shot up by Japanese gunfire, and other friendlies took position by different palm trees and fired their guns back... It was a vicious battle that ensued, and we were in the middle of it.

I took position by a tree and fired numerous M1 Garand rounds at the Japanese defensive line on the hill, with Miller and Sullivan blazing intense covering fire with their guns next to me. Numerous more Marines were cut down by intense Japanese gunfire that rained across the field, but the friendly troops kept firing their guns back, raking Japanese positions with their own gunfire. After vicious fighting, the Marine fired gun shots from across the field and behind tree cover that gunned several enemies down. The Japanese kept blazing flurries of rifle fire, which struck several of our Marines down, but we kept fighting fiercely and firing our guns as we charged.

"Fire on that machine gun!" a Marine ordered.

"Shit, keep moving across the field!" another Marine shouted.

Numerous other Marines were shot up, bloodily riddled by enemy bullets, as they rushed across the field. The Marines fired gun shots back and gunned down a few of the enemy soldiers, but the Japanese had a very hard defensive line, with machine gun fire and artillery shells raining down. I kept blazing Garand rounds at the Japanese line as Miller kept firing intense covering fire at the enemy defenses as well, riddling parts of it to pieces while Sullivan also blazed cover shots. The Marines blazed more gun shots that raked the enemy line, striking a few others down, but the Japanese kept on blazing machine gun bullets that gunned down several Marines.

"Keep firing," a Marine shouted, "Kill those Jap bastards!"

As the vicious fighting kept up with Marines charging and firing their guns furiously from the field against the Japanese defensive line, which kept on blazing hails of fire that cut multiple friendlies down, I fired some last rounds of my Garand rifle while Miller blazed cover with his BAR, then we both went over with Sullivan to a set of Palm trees to take cover from the hell fire.

"Shit, this fucking field is chaos," Miller said, "They're being fucking ripped to pieces!"

"We need to advance over to that damned barbed wire line," Sullivan said, "We'll move tree by tree, get as many men up there with us as we can!"

"How many of them will we need?!" Miller asked.

"There's different groups of our boys positioned by those trees," Sullivan continued speaking, "We cover them, and help them up to the wall!"

"I'm ready," Miller said, "I'll give you cover!"

"Good," Sullivan said, "Move out!"

We both emerged from the tree, Miller firing his BAR gun at the Japanese as he ran across the field to a tree. We could see several different groups of Marines positioned behind them, blazing rounds from their tree cover while different Marines kept rushing through the field.

"Move it," a Marine said, "Strike the hill!"

"Die in Hell!" another Marine shouted as he fired his gun at the enemy.

"Shoot down that gunner!" a third Marine demanded.

We came to a group behind a set of palm trees, several Marines positioned there. The Marines were all blazing gun shots at the enemy line from behind their tree cover as numerous other Marines ran past them, several of the chargers getting shot apart. Once we took position by the trees with them, I aimed and fired my rifle at the Japanese defensive line on top of the hill, raking the position with fiery rounds while Miller fired covering shots with his BAR rifle. In an intense firefight, I fired and shot several enemies with precise gun shots while Miller gunned a few others down with supporting fire, and the Marines blazed suppressing rounds of their own. With Miller and Sullivan blazing tense covering shots, I gunned down a few other enemy soldiers in the hill trench, which covered the other Marines long enough to bravely run over towards the barbed wire line.

We moved onto another group of Marines positioned behind some palm trees, scattered around the field while other Marines charged across around them, with several more being shot by enemy machine gun fire. Once reaching the position, Miller and I fired intense covering fire that shot several enemies at the hill line from a distance as Sullivan blazed furious cover shots. The Marines fired shots as well and, after we blazed more covering fire, the group of Marines charged forth over to the barbed wire line as well. We then ran over to another group of Marines sitting in a foxhole and took position there aiming our guns and firing at the Japanese line. As Sullivan kept blazing cover shots with his Thompson, I aimed and shot a few enemies down as Miller gunned down a couple others. Multiple other Marines were shot by enemy gunfire as they bravely charged the field, but after Miller, Sullivan and I fired more covering shots, the group of Marines with us took the opportunity to charge across the field over to the barbed wire line, just waiting for us to come over after them to storm the hill.

"Cover them, Eddie," Miller said, "Help 'em across the field!"

As numerous Marines were shot by enemy gunfire, some bloodily having their limbs torn off by powerful bullets that ripped their bloody flesh to pieces, we came to another group of Marines behind a set of palm trees, who were blazing shots at the Japanese line. I aimed and gunned down a few of the Japanese from a distance as Miller and Sullivan fired cover shots that cut several enemies down as well. After fierce fighting, we covered the Marines long enough so they could move to the barbed wire line as well. We then rushed over to another group of Marines sitting in a foxhole as several other friendly soldiers got shot. Miller and I fired shots that gunned a few enemies down from a distance as Sullivan shot a couple others. We kept firing more intense covering shots at the enemy line, raking it with bullets until we covered the Marines enough so they could move to the wire line as well.

"Move to that line!" Sullivan ordered.

"That's it," Miller said, "Come on, Eddie!"

With the men waiting there, we then rushed over to the barbed wire line with numerous other Marines, evading the perilous machine gun fire that chased us and then the three of us reached the barbed wire line and took position there with the other Marines, and we all lined the barbed wire line.

"Fire on their positions!" a Marine ordered furiously.

"I'll kill all you fucking Jap bastards!" another Marine shouted, firing his gun.

All the numerous Marines lining the barbed wire line were then firing their guns at the Japanese defenses, firing hails of immense gunfire which cut numerous Japanese soldiers down in vicious fighting. A midst the enemy machine gun fire raining down over us, the Marines kept firing intense gunfire that shot multiple enemies to pieces, while several other Marines blazed cover fire from behind foxholes. With the line of Marines firing their guns at the Japanese defenses in a fierce battles, I brandished my Thompson and blazed SMG fire that shot five enemies while Miller fired BAR shots that gunned several others down. A few Marines were struck by enemy rounds, but as I shot two others, the Marines fired some furious gun shots that cut several enemies to pieces, then Sullivan aimed and gunned down a couple others. I fired intense Thompson fire and shot six more Japanese as Miller gunned several others down with fiery BAR fire. Several other Marines were torn down by Japanese bullets, but as Miller and I fired intense cover shots that raked the Japanese positions, striking multiple enemies down as Sullivan shot a few others, the line of Marines kept firing intense gunfire that cut numerous more Japanese down.

We Marines kept fighting fiercely in the vicious battle, with the line of friendly infantry still firing immense gunfire which was cutting numerous enemies to pieces while several other Marines in foxholes kept on blazing covering shots that riddled pieces off different enemy positions. While several friendlies were struck down, I gunned two other soldiers down while Miller fired BAR shots that cut down several enemies, then I fired intense Thompson fire that shot five Japanese soldiers. The Marines kept firing more fierce gun shots, nailing several other Japanese, then I fired SMG shots that cut six other enemies down as Miller and Sullivan blazed covering fire that gunned down a few others, after which I fired more Thompson fire that shot five more Japanese. Still, enemy gunfire rained on us, and machine gun bullets still cut numerous friendlies down, but as I shot two more Japanese to the right while Miller shot a few others with BAR fire, the line of Marines kept firing hails of intense gunfire that cut multiple enemies to pieces. Several other Marines were struck down by bullets, but as Miller fired his BAR and shot several Japanese, I aimed and fired, shooting five more Japanese in the vicious fighting.

The ferocious battle kept on raging as Marines kept firing their guns on the Japanese defensive line, riddling their positions to pieces and striking multiple enemies down. Miller and I fired covering shots as Sullivan gunned down a few other Japanese, then Miller fired BAR shots that cut several others down and then shooting a few more to the right. I aimed and shot two enemies to the right and then gunned two more straight down, all while the Marines kept firing intense gun shots, nailing several enemies to pieces. As I fired shots that cut five more Japanese down, Sullivan blazed rounds that struck down a couple more, though the Japanese blazed fire that nailed multiple Marines charging the hill. In return however, Miller shot several more enemies with wild BAR fire as I gunned down another two as Sullivan blazed cover rounds at enemy positions. After much more fierce fighting, the Marines fired intense hails of gunfire which cut numerous Japanese to pieces, then I fired and shot five more enemies.

"Shit," Miller said, "Give them some fucking covering fire!"

"Henderson, shoot down those machine gunners," Sullivan ordered, "Or they'll rip us to shreds! Keep firing on them until the Shermans get here to break the wire line!"

As the Marines kept firing immense gunfire on the Japanese positions while enemy bullets rained all around, I shot two other soldiers before aiming and shooting down a machine gunner. After dodging another wave of bullets, I aimed and shot down another gunner, then aimed and struck down his two crew men with SMG rounds. Miller shot a few other Japanese while Sullivan gunned down a couple others, then I fired my Thompson and shot four other enemies to pieces. Several Marines were gunned down by enemy fire, but as I shot two more Japanese, and Miller and Sullivan blazed cover fire, I aimed and gunned down another machine gunner and his other crewman. The Marines then fired hails of gun shots that cut multiple Japanese down in fierce fighting.

With that, I kept firing intense SMG fire that raked the enemy machine gun positions, riddling several Japanese with bullets. While Miller fired intense BAR fire and shot numerous enemies, I aimed and gunned down another to the left before shooting two more straight down. With Sullivan blazing cover, I dodged another spray of machine gun rounds, then aimed and gunned down another Machine gunner, as well as shooting his crewman, then I fired Thompson shots that nailed four other Japanese down. After this, Sullivan blazed fire that shot a few others as Miller gunned down a couple more, allowing me to aim and fire at the last machine gun nest, shooting the last gunner and his two crewmen.

"Shit, hit the fucking hill," Miller shouted, "Keep firing on their defenses!"

A midst the enemy bullets raining down, the Marines kept firing their guns on the Japanese positions. As I shot numerous enemies with Thompson fire, Miller fired his BAR rifle and gunned multiple others down, and as Sullivan blazed cover bursts, I aimed and shot several more... Eventually, after vicious fighting, although a couple friendly tanks were demolished by artillery shells, two tanks reached the wire line and crushed over parts of it, clearing away an opening for us.

"There's our opening!" Sullivan said.

"Move it!" Miller ordered, "Get up the hill!"

Moving through the opening with many others following after, we rushed up the hill. The slope was rather shallow, so it wasn't hard to climb, though several Marines were taken down by desperate enemy rounds. Still, we charged with fierce determination, braving the fire as we made our way up the hill and getting right to the trench line at the top. Many Japanese retreated down the other side of the hill to different positions, but those who remained faced the wrath of the incoming Marines. Several enemies were bloodily riddled by friendly bullets while a few others were viciously stabbed by bayonets.

One Marine knocked an enemy against the trench with his rifle stock and then stabbed him hard with his bayonet while another Marine fiercely stabbed another enemy with his bayonet, threw him on the ground and then stabbed him over and over again. As we looked over onto the other side of the hill, we saw large numbers of Japanese troops moving about below us, trying to get into positions while others tried to charge back up the hill... So we Marines all aimed our guns at them.

"Open fire," Sullivan ordered, "Send all those bastards to Hell!"

"I'll tear those fucking Japs to shreds!" Miller stated, angry.

With that, we all fired hails of intense gunfire on the Japanese force below us, cutting numerous enemies down with fiery bullets which ripped limbs and bloody flesh off of many enemies. As the Marines kept firing more furious shots which ripped the Japanese to bloody pieces of flesh, powerful bullets tearing off their limbs and spilling their blood into pools in the grass, I fired intense Thompson fire and shot numerous enemies as well, while Miller and Sullivan blazed fire and gunned several others down. The Marines fired more immense gunfire, their furious bullets still cutting multiple Japanese down in a violently gory mess. Friendly bullets viciously and brutally tore off limbs and bloody flesh, cutting them to pieces in pools of splattering blood.

We kept firing into the Japanese force, cutting numerous enemies to bloody pieces, our gunfire ripping off their limbs and flesh. A couple Sherman tanks came up onto the hill with us, though one was destroyed by the shells of two Chi Ha tanks. However, the remaining two Shermans fired shells that destroyed the two Chi Ha tanks, though one friendly armor sustained damage as we Marines kept shooting limbs and bloody flesh off of Japanese soldiers, cutting multiple enemies down... Eventually, our superior gunfire paid off, as most of the enemy force was decimated here, allowing us to continue onward.

"Hurry on down the hill," Sullivan ordered, "Clear the rest of these fuckers out!"

A few Marines fiercely cut down several other Japanese soldiers with rifle shots. After running down the hill, a Marine shot two Japanese with M1 Garand rounds, catching them by surprise. As we moved down the other side of the hill with numerous Marines following after, a Sherman tank rolled in, firing a shell that took out an enemy squad in a blast, tearing off the legs of one soldier and ripping off the legs and an arm off another, and then rolling forth, the tank's treads firmly crushing two Japanese soldiers unlucky enough to get out of a small foxhole.

To the right of me, I saw a Marine with a flamethrower, spraying flames at four Japanese troops exiting a bunker, the flames engulfing and incinerating the enemies as they screamed... However, several Japanese tried to launch a desperate counterattack... "Banzai!" a couple Japanese said as several of them charged. A few were shot down, but there were some who reached, one Japanese soldier thrusting his bayonet into the stomach of a Marine, while another Marine blocked the bayonet of a different enemy, though the enemy soldier simply withdrew his bayonet and stabbed it right into the Marine's stomach... In retaliation, we furiously shot down those two Japanese soldiers.

Several more enemies charged, and we gunned down a couple more, and those who reached the Marines only got themselves killed. One Marine bashed a charging Japanese a couple times with his rifle stock while another Marine flipped a charger over his back, turned and shot him point blank. One charger did manage to stab a Marine in the back, but another friendly rushed the Japanese soldier, grabbing and throwing him to the ground and then beating the enemy with his rifle stock.

The Marines fired furious shots that ruthlessly cut down several more Japanese enemies, then we started charging remaining soldiers. One Marine rammed a Japanese down and began beating the enemy furiously with his rifle stock while another Marine threw an enemy against the sloped wall of a trench and and started stabbing the Japanese soldier repeatedly with his knife. Another Marine rushed and tackled a Japanese, pinning him down and then the Marine started viciously punching the Japanese soldier over and over in a fierce beating.

However, as we cleared away the the rest of the remaining Japanese resistance, furiously shooting many down while Marines viciously hit and killed enemies with their fists, knives and rifle stocks, suddenly, we looked to the left and saw enemy artillery on a hill, still raining shells down on Marines making their way across the field.

"Shit," Miller said, "Japanese artillery to the left!"

"Let's head over there," Sullivan ordered, "Clear any resistance in the way!"

With that, as most of the Marines kept slowly moving straight from behind the hill, Miller Sullivan and I began leading numerous other friendly troops with us though the grasslands, moving past different palm trees as we encountered some more Japanese troops.

"Shit," Miller said, "Jap infantry!"

A few Marines were gunned down by Japanese fire, but I aimed and fired Thompson shots that gunned five enemies down. A midst the furious bullets whistling around, a couple other Marines were struck by gun fire, where Miller fired and shot a few more Japanese. As Sullivan blazed cover shots, a couple Marines fired their rifles, shooting a few enemies, then Sullivan gunned down another two. Miller gunned down a couple more Japanese with BAR fire and then a Marine shot one more before rushing up to and stabbing another with his bayonet, then I fired and shot two other enemies to pieces. I then blazed cover shots that raked the Japanese positions as Sullivan aimed and gunned down a few Japanese, though enemy gun shots took down a couple friendlies.

Still moving down the path, I reloaded and then fired hails of gunfire that shot six enemies while Miller fired more BAR fire, nailing a few others. After that, Sullivan threw a grenade at a Japanese bunker, then he blazed cover shots as the blast went off. Japanese gunfire cut a few other Marines down, but as Miller blazed cover shots, I fired more furious Thompson fire which shot seven more Japanese. The Marines then fired their rifles and nailed several enemies with furious bullets, than I fired shots that gunned two others down, Miller and Sullivan blazed fire which gunned down several other enemy troops as the Marines kept firing shots that raked the enemy positions.

While moving down the pathway, we Marines shot several other enemies down, and as I kept firing shots that raked enemy positions, suddenly, a Japanese machine opened up and fired, taking down a couple Marines and forcing others into cover. As I dodged the machine gun bullets, I rushed it from the side as Miller and Sullivan blazed cover shots, then I aimed and shot the gunner and his two crewmen to pieces, then I gunned down four other Japanese soldiers in nearby trees before rushing up to and slicing another down with my knife.

"Burn in Hell, you fuckers!" a Marine shouted, furiously.

"Sayonara, pal!" another Marine remarked.

We continued moving on the pathway filled with long grass, different tropical plants and palm trees, engaging more Japanese soldiers and cutting them down. I rushed a Japanese soldier and sliced him down with my knife and then I aimed and shot two more enemies. A couple Marines shot a few other Japanese troops as Miller fired intense BAR fire that gunned down several more, then I fired my Thompson and shot six more Japanese in the grass. With the Marines blazing cover shots, Sullivan aimed his Thompson and gunned down four more enemies, but an enemy machine gun opened up to the right and blazed furious rounds, taking down a couple friendlies. However, I aimed and fired my Thompson, taking out the two occupiers of the nest, clearing our way.

"Kill all these fucking Jap bastards!" Miller shouted furiously, firing his BAR at the enemy troops.

A couple other Marines were taken down by enemy rounds, but as Sullivan fired and gunned down a couple other Japanese with concentrated fire, the Marines fired their guns and shot multiple Japanese in return. The fierce fighting kept up as I aimed and gunned down another two soldiers. Miller shot a couple others and then he rushed up to a Japanese soldier and stuck him down with his rifle stock, then took position behind a palm tree. Using his cover and aiming his rifle, Miller fired BAR shots that nailed a few other Japanese down, then he took position by a fallen tree, and then aimed and gunned down a couple more.

Taking positions by different trees, the Marines fired their rifles and gunned several enemies to pieces, then as I took position next to Miller by the fallen tree, I aimed and shot four others. Sullivan gunned down a few other enemies with Thompson fire as I shot another two. The fierce fighting kept raging as we braved past enemy fire blazing from the trees, and the Marines firing their rifles back and shooting numerous Japanese in a hail of fire while I fired and shot four more of them down, then Miller fired and gunned down a few others.

"Drive 'em back, Marines!" Sullivan shouted.

"Henderson, raze those Japs to Hell!" Miller followed up with.

Another machine gun opened up and fired on the friendly troops, raking our positions with powerful bullets, but I went up to the side as Miller blazed covering shots, then I aimed and gunned down a couple of the nest's occupiers, then finishing it off with a grenade. A Banzai charger rushed at us from the left, but Miller ran over, blocked the charger's bayonet with his rifle and then knocked down the enemy with a couple smacks with his rifle's stock.

As the Marines kept firing furious gun shots that cut multiple Japanese soldiers down, I took position in a foxhole with Miller and Sullivan, then I aimed and gunned down two other soldiers as Sullivan blazed rounds that struck a couple others. As Miller and Sullivan blazed cover that raked the enemy positions, I fired more intense Thompson shots that gunned five more Japanese down while Miller fired his BAR and shot several enemies to pieces. Sullivan aimed and shot two other Japanese as the Marines kept firing flurries of gun shots from the cover of trees near us that cut several enemies down, then I aimed and shot a few others as Sullivan gunned down a couple more, then Miller fired shots that cut a few others down in the vicious fighting.

We continued on the plant filled pathway, fighting and gunning down numerous other Japanese soldiers on the way, our bullets bloodily tearing off the limbs of a few of them... Right until we reached the bottom of the hill to the left, which contained the artillery.

"That's it," Miller said, "Climb the hill!"

However, suddenly, we looked up to the right as we saw machine guns towards the hill's top blazing machine gun rounds past us to rain fired down on other Marines, and we watched from the side.

"Shit," Miller exclaimed, "The Japs likely have a trench system up there!"

"Most Probably," Sullivan replied, "Leading both to the artillery and those bunkers... Son of a bitch... We need to reach that trench, clear it out so we can protect our boys down there... Then we can get back to those guns!"

Taking out my Garand rifle, Sullivan, Miller and I ran up the pathway leading up the hill to the side, with several Marines following after us. We encountered some Japanese soldiers on the pathway and by trees lining it, but as Sullivan blazed cover with his Thompson, Miller and I shot a few of them as the other Marines fired shots that gunned the remaining several down.

I shot two other Japanese in the trees, but then one more enemy came at me from the right, seizing hold of my right arm with one hand and my rifle with the other, but after a struggle, I punched the Japanese soldier hard with my right fist before ramming furiously into a tree, then stabbing him in the chest with my rifle's bayonet before turning back to shoot two more in the trees.

We continued on the pathway, shooting a few other Japanese down in the trees and then we reached the near top of the hill, right where we found the entrance to the trench system leading to the machine gun bunkers.

"Let's chase and burn those Japs out of this fucking trench, Henderson!" Miller said.

With that, Miller and I entered the trench, moving down the system as we encountered a few other Japanese soldiers. I aimed and gunned down two enemies as Miller shot a few others, then I fired more Thompson shots that gunned down a couple more. We turned to move down another trench, where the two of us shot a few other enemies, then I gunned down one more to the left as Miller shot a couple more straight down, then I shot two others further down the trench.

After more fighting, we came to another trench where I shot four more Japanese as Miller blazed cover, then we came upon the entrance to the first machine gun bunker. Waiting behind the entrance, Miller primed and threw a grenade inside, and after the blast went off, I aimed and shot two of the Japanese inside as Miller nailed the gunner with bullets.

"Should be just one other left," Miller noted, "Let's take it, already!"

We entered onto another trench to find more Japanese to engage, and we fired on them, with me shooting two down as Miller shot a few others, then I gunned down one more. We moved onto another trench where I fired and nailed two other Japanese soldiers as Miller blazed cover.

We took a turn into a trench, coming onto the second machine gun bunker, where I aimed and shot a couple inside. The last one charged at me, but I simply shot him before going up to him and slashing him with my knife.

We kept on fighting past the trench system, Miller shooting a couple other Japanese as I shot one more down and then rushed up to and sliced another down with my knife. We came into another trench, and as Miller fired and shot a few more enemies, I gunned down two more. Immediately, Sullivan and a few Marines jumped into the trench with us, and we fought past several more Japanese soldiers until we cleared them away.

"We cleared away those Japanese machine guns." Miller said to Sullivan.

"Yeah, I saw," Sullivan replied, "...Let's hurry and take out those Jap artillery guns."

We hurried down the last trench and immediately entered onto the nests containing the guns. There was a line of artillery guns, 200 mm, each positioned in nests covered by tarps, grasses and wood, and each gun nest was connected by short trenches, though there were two sets of four guns positioned on the hill.

"Okay... Miller, you and me take out the set down the trench," Sullivan spoke, then turned to me, handing me some packs of explosives, "Henderson, you take care of these ones here."

"Right," Miller said, "Sounds good for me."

As Miller and Sullivan headed over towards the other set, I took the packs of explosives over to the guns of this set before me, planting explosives on each gun. Eventually, I finished the job and then made my way down a trench, shooting two more straight down and another to the left as Miller and Sullivan finished planting their explosives and we all started running out of the trenches.

"Clear out," Sullivan shouted, "Clear out of the fucking trenches!"

As I shot two other Japanese in the trench and I ran out with Miller, Sullivan and the few other Marines, just barely making it safely behind cover as the charges went off, blasting the artillery guns to smouldering ruins in large fiery explosions that tore across the trench.

"Shit," Miller exclaimed, "They sure felt it!"

"All right, boys," Sullivan spoke, "Let's move down the hill toward that jungle, and clear it out!"

With that, we made our way down the hill, brushing past the long grass as we came upon the entrance to a jungle, finding pathways surrounded by dense amounts of palm trees and tropical plants... And as soon as we entered the jungle, we found Japanese soldiers who blazed rounds towards us.

"Shit, Jap infantry," Miller shouted, "Fucking rifle fire incoming... Kill them!"

"Burn, you fucking bastards!" a Marines shouted.

As a couple Marines were struck by enemy fire, we Marines fired our guns back, blazing bullets that ripped through the trees, shooting multiple Japanese to bloody pieces. As I shot two other enemies, a few Marines fired their rifles and gunned down several other enemy troops as I aimed and nailed one more with Garand rounds. Miller fired BAR shots and gunned a few other Japanese down as Sullivan aimed and shot a couple more.

Taking position in the trees of the jungle, Marines fired hails of gun shots that nailed numerous other Japanese down as I fired more Garand shots that cut down four more enemies. A few other Marines were struck down by Japanese gunfire, but Miller fired his BAR and shot several more enemies, then I aimed and gunned down another two. As Miller and Sullivan blazed cover shots, the Marines fired more rifle fire and shot several other Japanese to pieces, shooting a few limbs off a couple. A few more Japanese charged, but the Marines blazed cover fire that ripped through them, with Miller shooting a couple of the enemies to pieces.

As the fierce fighting went on in the jungle, two Marines rushed forward down a path, blazing Garand rounds at enemy forces. Suddenly, however, a rope trap snagged the foot of one Marine and pulled him up to a branch, setting off a grenade that blew off his head, and tore the arm off the other one with him. Sullivan saw the event before, so he aimed and angrily shot a couple more down and then began rushing over towards the injured Marine. At the same time, Miller furiously rushed at a Japanese soldier and knocked him down with his rifle stock before aiming and firing more BAR shots at enemies in the trees, gunning down a few more before he took cover by a fallen tree and fired his BAR to shoot a couple more Japanese.

"You dirty fucking Jap filth!" a Marine shouted, enraged over the trap, firing heated rounds at enemies in the trees.

A few friendly troops blazed furious rounds at the enemy positions, angrily raking the enemy troops with intense fire as another Marine rushed and tackled an incoming Banzai charger, then the Marine was fiercely beating the Japanese soldier... Still, Sullivan rushed over to rescue the Marine still alive.

"Henderson," Miller stated, "We need to help cover Tom!"

The two of us taking position by a tree as enemy rounds struck a couple more friendly troops, Miller and I aimed and fired immense gun shots that raked the Japanese positions, riddling their cover to pieces. Sullivan charged down the path, furiously smacking down a Banzai charger with the stock of his Thompson, and then bravely coming over towards the Marine with one arm, picking him up by his arm and helping back over to us. Miller and I fired cover that nailed a few more Japanese, and after a slow yet hard struggle, Sullivan got the wounded comrade safely behind the cover of a palm tree with other Marines, then he rejoined the fight.

"Miller, Henderson, see that path to the left," Sullivan spoke to us, "Try and use it to flank 'em!"

"Right away," Miller responded, "Come on, Henderson.

As the Marines kept firing shots at Japanese positions in the jungle from their tree cover, Miller and I rushed down a path. We encountered a Japanese soldier emerging from the trees, but Miller rushed him and seized hold of the enemy soldier's rifle, wrestling him fiercely for it. After some vicious struggling, Miller punched the Japanese soldier hard twice, knocking him down and then shooting him dead with his BAR.

The two of us came onto the side of the Japanese forces, and we immediately seized the opportunity of surprise. I took out my Thompson and, aiming our guns, Miller and I fired intense gunfire at the Japanese, cutting multiple down. While I gunned down two, Miller fired and shot five enemies as I aimed and nailed four more with SMG bullets. I then shot another to the left as Miller gunned down another two, then I shot two more of my own to the right. With Miller blazing suppressing fire, I aimed and gunned four more straight down as Miller fired more BAR fire that shot six others, then I gunned down another two.

"Move up, Marines!" Sullivan ordered, and as we fired on the enemy troops, we saw Marines moving up more now, taking positions by different trees, so the two of us ran over and joined them.

"Hold your positions!" a Marine ordered.

"Fuck... Die already, you son of a bitch!" another Marine shouted.

The Marines fired more gunshots that cut numerous down, with Miller and I firing shots that gunned down several as Sullivan blazed cover fire. Eventually, Sullivan threw a grenade that took out a small squad we began moving forward... Only for a machine gun to open up and fire on us.

"Shit," Miller exclaimed, "Jap machine gun fire!"

As the blazing bullets tore down a Marine and drove us to cover, I fired Thompson shots that raked the enemy position, shooting two of the nest crew down. Eventually though, I primed and threw a grenade near a rather large palm tree, the blast tearing away the base of the trunk and start falling, with the tree collapsing right onto and crushing the remaining Japanese soldiers in the nest.

As we moved forward, suddenly, Banzai chargers came down the path of the dense jungle. We Marines shot several down, but some managed to reach us. One Marine shot a charger but got stabbed in the stomach by another as a second Marine tried to swipe his rifle stock at a third Banzai charger, who just dodged the swipe and stabbed the Marine in the back... Luckily though, the other Marines could handle themselves, with a few other Marines knocking down chargers with their rifles stocks and beating them down with either their stocks or their fists furiously.

I shot two other chargers, but a third came up to me to thrust his bayonet, but I dodged the attack and grabbed his rifle, wrestling him for it. After a struggle, I knocked the rifle out of his hands and then stabbed him with his own rifle's bayonet, finishing him and allowing me to pick up my Thompson and continue on... As we kept fighting, however, suddenly, a flash appeared in the trees with a bullet flying by and striking a fellow Marine down.

"Shit, Jap snipers," Miller shouted, "In the trees!"

As Sullivan and the Marines blazed cover shots, I aimed and shot five more Japanese troops down with Thompson fire as Miller gunned down a few others, then I aimed for the snipers, concentrating for movement... And when I saw some palm leaves rustle, I took aim and fired, shooting one down who dangled from a rope.

Two other Marines were cut down by sniper bullets, but while Miller fired cover, I aimed and gunned down two more snipers. I dodged a couple bullets from the last sniper and then aimed as he reloaded, firing a few rounds that riddled him out of the tree, and then he fell over to the ground.

"That's it," Miller said, "Keep moving out of the jungle!"

As Miller and I fired shots that nailed several enemies down, we kept fighting fiercely past Japanese troops in the jungle. After shooting more enemies in the trees, we finally made our way out of the pathway and onto another field filled with long grasses, where we regrouped with large numbers of Marines... And as we continued on the path through the field, we came upon another Japanese trench filled with machine guns and countless riflemen, all rushing into the trench to prepare a defense.

"Attack!" Sullivan ordered, "Clear those fuckers from the trench!"

"Kill those Jap bastards!" a Marine demanded.

We all charged the Japanese line, but the enemy troops were all firing their guns, cutting numerous advancing Marines down in a hail of fire. However, While I blazed Thompson rounds to cover my comrades, raking the Japanese trench with bullets, Miller, Sullivan and many other Marines lay down on the ground and fired intense gun shots back at the enemy line, then I lay down and kept firing my gun with them.

In the vicious fighting, several more Marines were gunned down by enemy bullets, but as Miller fired and shot several Japanese, I aimed and gunned down two others, then the Marines fired hails of gunfire back which tore several enemies down. I shot four others and then moved up to some long grass to take position as Miller and Sullivan blazed cover fire that nailed a few more Japanese troops. As Miller gunned down a couple others while Sullivan shot another two, the Marines fired gun shots that cut several enemies to bloody pieces, friendly bullets ripping off their flesh and tearing away limbs off of Japanese soldiers. Still, the Japanese kept blazing desperate machine gun fire that cut multiple Marines down, but I aimed and shot four more Japanese in a hail of SMG fire.

The Marines kept shooting at the Japanese trench, raking the enemy positions with intense flurries of bullets as the fierce battle raged on further. Another couple Marines were gunned down, but after I reloaded and moved to another spot of tall grass for cover, I fired intense Thompson shots that gunned five more Japanese down, then after he came over near me, Miller fired his BAR rifle and shot several other Japanese to pieces in a hail of fire, then Sullivan threw a grenade that took out a couple enemies, tearing off their legs. Japanese gunfire took out a couple more Marines, but as Sullivan blazed rounds that struck one more down, then I fired more Thompson fire that shot six more Japanese while Miller aimed and gunned a few others down. Eventually, after much fierce fighting, the Marines fired hails of gunfire back and shot numerous enemies to pieces.

As another Marine was shot, I aimed and gunned down another two as Miller and Sullivan shot a few more, blazing covering rounds that pinned the enemy troops. Immediately, the Marines got to their feet and charged the trench, firing their guns as they rushed forth. The Japanese tried to fire back with their rifles, but the Marines kept firing intense gun shots as they charged which cut multiple enemies down... Immediately, the Marines broke through and rushed right into the trench to clear it out.

One Marine entered the trench and shot two enemy soldiers down before rushing up to and stabbing down another with his bayonet. Near him, another Marine knocked down a Japanese with swipes from his rifle stock before repeatedly stabbing the enemy with his bayonet, then rushing and stabbing another Japanese soldier hard with his bayonet against the trench wall.

Miller, Sullivan and I immediately crossed over the trench and onto the lands behind it, where I rushed a Japanese soldier and slashed him down with my knife. We watched a few Marines furiously shoot down several enemies while, nearby, a Marine with a flamethrower sprayed immense fire at enemy soldiers coming out from a trench, the flames incinerating several Japanese soldiers as the flamethrower operator kept spraying fire.

"Let's keep on down the path," Sullivan said, "There should be a fortress down that way."

We rushed down the short grasslands to an area with some trees, where a machine gun bunker opened up to confront us. We dived down into cover by trees and small mounds covered with plants and I took out my Garand and blazed rounds at the position. However, we wouldn't have to deal with this enemy for long, as a friendly with a flamethrower came up to the side and shots flames at and into the bunker, burning away the enemies inside.

Once we moved past the bunker, we came upon a grassland surrounded by hills and dense jungle... And before us, in the center of the grassland, we found a Japanese fortress, covered in plants and armed with machine guns.

"Shit," Miller exclaimed, "There it is, Sullivan."

We Marines charged forth towards the fortress, with one Marine tackling a Japanese soldier and then stabbing the enemy to death wit his knife while another Marine rushed and pierced an enemy with his bayonet. However, as we began taking cover behind different trees and sandbags, the fortress opened up windows and blazed machine gun fire out of them, striking several Marines with heavy bullets and forcing us into cover as the enemy guns kept blazing rounds that riddled the trees.

"Damn it... Fuck," Sullivan exclaimed, "We'll have to flank it from the side."

"Hurry and pick the path, Henderson." Miller told me.

As I saw a Marine flamethrower operator come in and spray flames that incinerated several other Japanese troops, I decided to move along a path to the right with Sullivan and Miller and once we were on our way, we took positions by crates and trees as some Japanese came in to confront us.

With Sullivan blazing cover, Miller and I fired and shot a few down, then I aimed and gunned down a couple others. As the three of us shot down several more Japanese, we moved through a cave and came out into some trees on the other side. We shot a few more enemies down, but then two other Japanese emerged out of concealed pits like trapdoor spiders hungering for their prey... But as soon as they attack, blazing rounds from their pits, we fired back and gunned them down.

We moved up the side of the hill that contained the fortress. Once reaching some trees, a couple Japanese threw a grenade over towards us from a nest, but I quickly picked it up and threw it back at them, blasting them to bloody pieces and spilling the sand from the bags lining their nest.

"Japs incoming!" Miller warned.

Indeed, we saw Japanese soldiers come out of the doorway leading into the fortress. As we took position behind sandbags and trees, the three of us fired on them, gunning several enemies down furiously, and then we fired on the windows of the fortress, taking out a couple gunners.

As we did, a flamethrower operator moved up to the other side of the hill fortress, emitting a burst of flame that burned a sniper in a tree above. He then sprayed flames towards the bunker windows... But was shot by another sniper in a second tree near him, then riddled by Machine gun fire from the fortress.

"Shit!" Miller exclaimed.

"Damn it, we gotta get the windows clear," Sullivan said, "Henderson, you're up... That flamethrower should come in handy... Any way around those guns?!"

"...No, there ain't," Miller replied, a bit wary, "Only way is in front of them, though that small crater in front should offer some cover, if you're close to the ground!"

"...Fuck... Okay," Sullivan responded, "Henderson, crouch down and get to that flamethrower. Miller and I will cover you as you make your way to it, and watch out for any snipers... Ready... Suppressing fire!"

Miller and Sullivan unleashed a spray of bullets at the machine guns, pinning them down as I crawled over to the flamethrower through the small crater as fast as I could. I just barely got to cover behind a mound just next to the fire projector as the machine guns resumed fire, just nearly riddling me.

However, the enemy sniper in a tree just near me blazed a round that struck the mound. I reached my hand out and grabbed the flamethrower, putting it on and then firing a couple rounds that pinned the tree sniper as he blazed another shot, just before I wielded the stick and sprayed a burst that burned away the sniper.

With that, I went over to the fortress windows, spraying immense fire into the fortress and burning away the Japanese soldiers inside. I saw Japanese soldiers inside come in to replace the gunners, but I kept spraying bursts that incinerated them, engulfing the fortress windows in flames. After that, Miller threw in a couple satchel charges and the three of us ran back over to the tree for safety, then Sullivan pushed down on the plunger, sending the fortress blasting apart in a fiery explosion from the satchel charges... The fortress was done.

"Yeah!" an excited Miller shouted, "Burn, you dirty Jap bastards!"

"That's some fine work, Marines!" Sullivan complimented, then he spotted the hole with a ladder in the middle of the fortress floor, which could be seen now, "Henderson, take a charge and throw one down that hole."

Taking his order, I took a charge and went over into the fortress floor, going past the large opening lined with flames and then throwing a satchel charge down into the hole, getting back over to the trees with my comrades and then pushing down the plunger, finishing off what was left of the fortress.

"Let's clear away any remaining resistance," Sullivan ordered, "Destroy any Japanese positions!"

Picking up my Garand rifle and slinging it over my shoulder, I wielded my Thompson and ran over with Miller and Sullivan, and the Marines followed us as we moved down a pathway to secure the area.

We moved forward, encountering several Japanese soldiers rushing our way. In response, a Marine tackled and started furiously beating a Japanese soldier with his fists as two other Marines pulled down and began beating that enemy with their fists and rifle stocks. A Marine with a flamethrower then sprayed fire that engulfed the remaining few Japanese and burned them to death.

"Keep moving," Sullivan said, "Burn any of these fuckers you find!"

Following the lead of Sullivan, Miller and myself, the Marines all rushed down the pathway with us, just aiming to clear away any enemy forces left. Sure enough, once we came to the end of the path and entered a series of grasslands with different palm trees around, a Japanese trench line lay before us, filled with riflemen.

"I'll kill you fucking dirty Jap bastards!" a Marine shouted, firing his rifle.

"Die, you filthy Jap pigs!" another Marine shouted at the enemy.

Sullivan lead us as we charged the trench, and the line of enemy riflemen fired hails of gunfire that cut numerous Marines down as supporting Japanese machine guns shot off limbs from several friendlies. In response, as we lay on the ground before the trench, we Marines fired hails of rifle fire back and shot multiple Japanese in return. With fierce fighting raging, I shot seven enemies in the trench and then I fired more shots that raked the enemy trench positions as well while Miller and Sullivan fired gunshots that nailed several enemies in return. The Japanese gunfire still blazed and tore multiple friendlies down, but as I fired Thompson fire that shot nine more Japanese in the trench, the Marines fired immense gunfire and cut numerous enemies down in the trench, shooting limbs and flesh off multiple Japanese soldiers in the fierce battle. As I fired shots that raked the trench, Sullivan gunned a couple enemies down to the left as Miller shot a few soldiers with BAR fire, then Sullivan fired and shot a couple more Japanese to the right. I then fired my Thompson and shot six Japanese in the trench as the Marines fired their guns and shot multiple enemies to bloody pieces, shooting off limbs from enemies.

As we Marines kept fighting the Japanese trench line, firing shots that raked the trench and pinned Japanese soldiers, the enemy machines blazed shots that tore limbs off of a few friendlies. In response, I aimed and shot one of the machine gunners, then fired Thompson shots that nailed five more enemies. Miller fired and shot several more Japanese with his BAR as Sullivan gunned a few others down with his Thompson. Braving past the enemy gunshots, the Marines fired immense rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese in the trench, while Miller fired his BAR and nailed a few other soldiers and I fired Thompson fire and shot six more Japanese soldiers. After much more fierce fighting, Miller fired and shot a few Japanese as Sullivan gunned down a couple more enemies, then I aimed and shot the last machine gunner blazing at us. With Miller and Sullivan firing cover shots, the Marines all fired immense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces in a fierce battle. I then fired my Thompson and gunned five more soldiers down in the trench as the Marines kept firing shots that riddled the trench and tore limbs off enemies... We all kept fighting until we cleared most enemies from the trench, letting us rush up to take it.

"Send these Jap bastards to Hell!" a Marine shouted.

"I'll tear you bastards to fucking pieces!" another Marine stated to the enemy.

With Miller, Sullivan and I firing cover shots, the Marines fired shots until they had cleared the trench itself... We could all eventually move on down the grasslands to eliminate further enemy positions.

"Move it," Sullivan ordered, "Reach the pathway."

The trench now finished, we moved past the trench and moved through the grasslands here to come upon a pathway with palm trees lining the both sides of the path. Though we did so cautiously, we moved through as quickly as we could.

"Let's get those fucking Jap pigs!" a Marine said.

As we moved down, shortly however, Japanese soldiers appeared in the trees to the sides of us, blazing shots at our advance. Alerted, the Marines on the pathway aimed and fired gunshots back at the Japanese in the trees.

"Shit," Miller said, "There's fucking Jap infantry!"

"Return fire!" Sullivan ordered furiously.

The Japanese soldiers in the trees to the sides of us blazed shots that took out several friendlies. In response, as they held positions in the pathway, the Marines fired immense gunfire at Japanese soldiers in the trees at both sides of the pathway, raking and pinning enemies with furious gunshots. As the fierce battle raged, I fired and gunned five enemies down as the Marines fired immense gunfire and nailed multiple Japanese in the palm trees. Miller and Sullivan fired shots that gunned several enemies down as I gunned two others down to the right, then as the Marines kept firing cover shots that riddled the attacking Japanese in the palm trees, I fired more shots that nailed five more soldiers. As I fired gunshots that raked enemies by the palm trees, the Marines fired immense gunfire and shot numerous Japanese in the trees a midst intense fighting. Miller and Sullivan fired shots that nailed multiple enemies as I gunned two more soldiers down to the right and then aimed and shot two others to the left. Enemy gunshots still blazed towards us, so I fired cover shots that let the Marines fire immense gunfire that cut down multiple Japanese soldiers in the trees. I then shot five more Japanese with Garand shots, then the Marines fired gunfire that nailed the remaining enemies on the palm tree lined pathway.

"Take that, you Jap filth!" a Marine said.

A friendly with a flamethrower sprayed flames that engulfed and incinerated several remaining Japanese, eliminating the rest of the enemies here as we all moved down the pathway further and emerged onto some more terrain covered in grass reaching our knees and different palm trees standing around in scattered places.

"Be careful for any Japanese ambushes." Miller warned to the others.

A Banzai charger rushed at me, but I dodged his blade before struggling over his rifle, then I took the rifle from his hands, knocked him back and stabbed him with the bayonet while Miller and Sullivan shot the other couple Banzai chargers, then we moved on. Once we came further into the fields, we immediately found some Japanese defenses, a series of different positions and infantry nests placed all over these grasslands... So as I took out my Thompson, we furiously engaged them in a vicious battle.

"Attack," Sullivan demanded, "Destroy all these positions!"

"Come here and die, you Jap bastards!" Miller shouted.

We Marines all fired immense gunshots at the Japanese positions, riddling and raking them with fiery gunfire and cutting multiple enemies to pieces, some bullets tearing off limbs and bloody flesh. In vicious fighting, the Marines kept firing intense gunfire and shooting numerous Japanese, with me firing and shooting six enemies and riddling some positions with Thompson fire. However, as Miller and Sullivan fired cover shots, the Japanese positions blazed fire back, gunning some of the Marines down, so I kept firing Thompson shots that nailed seven more enemies and then I shot up a position as well. Miller fired his BAR and shot several enemies as Sullivan gunned a few others down, then the Marines all kept firing gunshots that cut numerous Japanese down in the fierce battle. As I fired and shot six more Japanese soldiers, Miller fired BAR shots that nailed a few more enemies, then I fired Thompson shots that riddled and destroyed a couple more positions. Some other Marines were gunned down and pinned by enemy shots, but Miller and I fired fierce cover fire that let the Marines fire intense gunfire that cut multiple Japanese to shreds and shot up several different positions as I fired and destroyed a couple other positions.

The fierce fighting kept raging as we Marines battled the Japanese positions in these grasslands, with Marines braving enemy shots and shooting up positions and gunning enemy soldiers down. A midst the fighting, I fired and shot five more enemies as Miller shot a few others, then I fired more intense Thompson fire that nailed six more Japanese. The Japanese positions kept blazing tense rounds that pinned some of the soldiers, so I fired shots that raked and destroyed a few more positions, then the Marines fired their guns back and shot multiple Japanese in return. Japanese fire kept raining all over us as Miller and Sullivan fired shots that gunned several enemies down, then I shot two more soldiers in a position before aiming at the right and gunning two enemies down in a different position as well. Some more Marines were gunned down by enemy gunshots, but the Marines fired furious gunfire back and shot numerous Japanese in the vicious battle, with Miller shooting a few more soldiers as Sullivan gunned a couple others down. I then fired shots that nailed five more Japanese as Miller shot several enemies with BAR fire. enemy gunshots kept blazing, but the Marines fired their guns and shot more enemies and destroyed some positions. Sullivan then shot a few more soldiers as I gunned two more down in a nest.

The Marines kept firing immense rifle fire and shooting numerous Japanese in the vicious fighting, still firing shots that riddled enemy positions and raked and pinned soldiers. However, the enemy troops still fired gunshots back that gunned multiple friendlies down as well, with some enemies firing machine gun shots that pinned a couple Marines. Still, we kept fighting and braving past the enemy shots, with Miller and I firing cover shots that riddled and pinned a few positions, then the Marines fired their guns and shot multiple enemies as well, shooting up several different Japanese positions with continuous rifle fire. I gunned two enemies down in a position, then as Miller and Sullivan shot several more Japanese with their gunfire, I fired and nailed five more enemies in the grasslands. Enemy machine gun fire still rained over us, so the Marines fired rifle shots back that raked and pinned the Japanese positions as I shot up a couple positions while Miller fired cover, then I fired and shot five Japanese soldiers in the fierce battle. Several more friendlies were gunned down, so as I shot two enemies in a nest, Miller and Sullivan gunned a few others down, then I shot two more Japanese in another position. The Marines then fired intense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese down and destroyed some positions as well.

As we kept fighting the Japanese positions and infantry, the enemy troops kept blazing shots back, gunning several more Marines down. Still, Miller and I fired furiously at the Japanese positions, shooting several enemies as Sullivan blazed cover shots, then the Marines fired their guns and shot multiple enemies to pieces. I then fired Thompson shots that nailed six more Japanese and riddled a few more positions to shreds, then Miller fired BAR fire that shot several enemies as Sullivan gunned a few others down. Japanese machine gun shots blazed and tore some of the men down, so I shot five more Japanese with Thompson fire as Sullivan gunned a couple other soldiers down and Miller shot a few more enemies with his BAR. As Miller and Sullivan fired cover fire, I fired Thompson shots that destroyed a couple more positions. The Marines fired their guns and cut multiple enemies down in the vicious fighting, shooting off bloody enemy limbs, then Miller fired and gunned a few more soldiers down. I shot five more Japanese, then the Marines fired gunfire that riddled positions and shot numerous Japanese.

Miller and I fired gunfire that shot multiple enemies and riddled positions as Sullivan fired intense cover fire that raked the Japanese nests. As I gunned two soldiers down in a position, Miller shot a few others as Sullivan gunned a couple more down, then I shot two more enemies as the Marines fired gunshots that raked and pinned the Japanese positions. I fired Thompson shots and nailed six more enemies and then the Marines fired immense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces and riddled and destroyed different positions as I kept firing and shooting five more soldiers. Enemy gunfire still blazed and raked some of the Marines, so I gunned two enemies down in a nest as Miller shot several more Japanese, then I shot two other enemies in a position as Sullivan fired and nailed a few other soldiers. Braving past the enemy gunfire, the Marines still fired gunshots that raked the enemy positions, with me firing and nailing seven more Japanese. As Miller gunned a few others down, the Marines fired intense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese soldiers to pieces and destroyed their positions.

"I'll kill all you filthy Jap bastards!" Miller shouted.

"Keep moving," Sullivan said, "Clear any Japanese in our way!"

We all kept firing gunfire and fighting until we shot the remaining Japanese soldiers and destroyed any positions and machine gun nests with gunshots, letting us continue up the field to engage further defenses.

"Japanese positions are finished," Miller said, "That's all of 'em!"

The Marines moved past the grasslands with us and down a pathway, where we encountered some Japanese soldiers. Braving enemy shots, several Marines fired and shot multiple enemies in the trees, then a Marine tackled and beat a Japanese soldier before finishing him off with a few stabs from his knife.

"Shit, kill 'em all," a Marine said, "Slice these bastards to shreds!

I rushed and slashed a Japanese soldier down with my knife before taking out my Garand and shooting two others, then we moved down the pathway and came upon another grassy field. This time, we encountered another Japanese trench line, filled with infantry... This seemed to be the final enemy defense in the area.

"Should be their last defense" Sullivan ordered, "Raze 'em to the ground!"

"Die, you dirty son of a bitch!" a Marine shouted to the enemy.

We all rushed at the the Japanese trench line, but the enemy soldiers fired rifle and machine gun fire that cut multiple Marines down. Still, we braved the enemy gunfire raining at us, and as we charged, the Marines fired immense gunfire back that raked and pinned the Japanese trench. As the enemy gunfire blazed and shot numerous Marines, Miller and I fired shots that nailed several Japanese in the trench, while Sullivan gunned a couple others down, and the Marines kept firing gunshots that riddled the Japanese trench. As the Marines fired cover shots at the enemy trench that still rained hails of gunfire, I fired and shot five Japanese, then Miller shot several more enemies with BAR fire. Sullivan gunned a few Japanese down as I shot six more enemies with Garand fire, then Sullivan aimed and shot a couple other soldiers. After dodging bullets, I gunned two more down in the trench, then as Miller and Sullivan fired cover shots, I kept firing Garand fire that nailed five more enemies. In the fierce battle, the Marines fired immense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese in the trench before us, then Miller shot a few enemies as Sullivan gunned a couple others down. I then shot two more in the trench as Sullivan and Miller fired cover shots that raked the trench, then I fired and nailed two more soldiers.

The Marines all kept firing shots that raked the trench and pinned Japanese soldiers in fierce fighting. Enemy gunfire still rained at us, so Miller and Sullivan fired back and riddled positions in the trench while I fired and shot six Japanese. Miller then shot several enemies with BAR fire as I fired Garand shots that raked the trench, then Sullivan gunned a few others down with his Thompson. As the vicious battle raged heavily with the Japanese trench blazing gunfire, and the Marines charging and firing their guns back at the trench, I fired Garand shots that nailed seven more Japanese. As they braved enemy gunshots, the Marines fired intense gunfire back and shot numerous Japanese in the trench, then Miller and Sullivan fired cover shots that gunned several enemies down as well. With the Marines firing gunfire that raked the enemy trench, Miller shot a few Japanese as Sullivan gunned a couple others down with his Thompson. We got even closer as I fired and shot six more enemies, then the Marines fired immense gunfire that cut multiple Japanese to pieces as Miller shot a few others.

"Go to Hell, you Jap filth!" a Marine shouted.

After much hard fighting, we cleared away the trench, with a Marine with a flamethrower spaying fire that incinerated a couple Japanese and another Marine tackling and beating a Japanese soldier before finishing him off with a few stabs from his knife... And then the trench was ours.

"Line up in position!" Sullivan ordered, "They'll be coming!"

"We'll slice those Jap pigs!" a Marine said.

The Marines all lined the former enemy trench and aimed their guns at the grass land and series of palm trees before us, just waiting for anyone to come in. I wielded my Thompson and took position near Miller and Sullivan in the trench, aiming our guns... Then the Japanese started coming in waves.

"Shit, they're fucking coming in," Miller shouted, "Kill these fucking dirty bastards!"

"I'll burn all you filthy Jap bastards!" a Marine stated.

As the waves of Japanese troops came charging in and blazing shots, the line of Marine infantry in the trench all fired intense hails of gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces, some bullets tearing off limbs and pieces of flesh. As the line of Marines kept firing immense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese in a vicious battle, I fired my Thompson and shot seven Japanese as Miller and Sullivan fired gunshots that gunned multiple enemies down as well. The Marines all kept firing their guns and shooting numerous enemies in fierce fighting, but the Japanese kept coming and blazing rifle shots. I kept firing Thompson fire and shooting nine more Japanese soldiers as Miller fired his BAR and shot multiple enemies as well, then I fired more shots that nailed six more Japanese. Sullivan gunned several others down as the Marines fired intense gunfire that cut multiple Japanese down, but the enemy troops kept coming in. As I fired and shot seven more enemies as Sullivan gunned a few others down, then as Miller shot several more Japanese with BAR fire, Sullivan gunned down a couple more soldiers. In vicious fighting, the Marines fired rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese as I shot six more enemies with Thompson fire.

The Japanese kept coming in, and while we kept firing shots that raked and pinned Japanese troops, enemy soldiers fired rifle shots back and gunned several friendlies down as well. In response, I fired Thompson shot and nailed five Japanese soldiers as Miller shot multiple enemies with BAR fire. A midst the fierce battle, Miller and Sullivan fired intense cover as the Marines fired gunshots that cut numerous Japanese soldiers down, then I fired and shot six more Japanese with Thompson fire. Sullivan gunned several enemies down, but the Japanese blazed shots back that struck several Marines, so Sullivan fired and nailed a few more soldiers. I shot five Japanese soldiers as the Marines fired gunshots that cut multiple more enemies to pieces, then I fired and nailed five more enemies. Miller fired intense BAR shots that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers, and as the Marines kept firing immense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese to gory shreds, I fired and shot six enemies in the fierce battle... And after much hard fighting, the enemy waves diminished severely, causing them to retreat.

"That's it," a Marine said, "Run, you cowardly Japs!"

With the enemy assault dwindling, the Japanese soldiers fell back and started running back towards the trees. We kept firing some shots at the retreating Japanese, shooting several of them down... And they all kept running back until they were gone, and the Marines in the trench started cheering.

"Out fucking standing, Marines!" Sullivan rejoiced at the victory.

With the area secure, Sullivan, Miller and I climbed out and stood in front of the trench, watching some Marines and Sherman tanks to the left of us roll by as we basked in our victory.

"Should be the last of the Tojos here." Miller said.

"Okay, Marines will be mopping up the area," Sullivan said, "We'll dig in and prepare for any counterattacks."

"Supplies will be moving there, right?" Miller asked.

"Yeah..." Sullivan said, "Whatever the Japs have to send for us, we'll be ready... We'll give those bastards Hell."

I looked over the field that we had seized, gaining our victory over this initial battle here... That was it, we gained our secure of the beachhead... Now we just had to take the rest of the island.


	13. M-6: Kill 'em, Burn 'em - Pt 1

_We secured the beachhead, bringing more men and supplies to the island so we can hold our gains, but the Japanese still have a tight hold of all the jungles and inland areas of the island, and if the past is any indication, they're gonna fight for every inch of it... So we dig ourselves in, defend our lines from any of their assaults, and then counterattack, seize even more of the island. We'll fight to the death even harder than they will, show 'em that we're here to stay... That we're here to drive them all out of this whole island._

 **'Kill 'em, Burn 'em'**

 **Saipan Island, Marianas**

 **June 21, 1944**

 **Pvt. Edric Henderson**

 **2nd Marine Division**

As I stood against the wall of a hut next to some palm trees, I looked over at our defensive line, a trench stretching across the grassy field filled with numerous Marines lining the trench, preparing and aiming their guns at whatever incoming force the Japanese had to send from down the field. Along with numerous Marine infantry lining the trench, armed with BAR rifles, M1 Garand rifles and Thompson guns, there were a couple positions of machine guns and riflemen behind the line, all ready to give support for the line of infantry in the trench

...All that was left now, was just to wait, and I passed the time by listening to my friend, Chris Miller, explain his story of the Makin raid... I had taken an interest in how he survived.

"There was a whole swarm of Japanese coming at us," Miller spoke to me, "I cut down as many of those bastards as I could, covering the boys with us to the boats... Right after we set the charge, timer got fried, so we had to run like crazy back to the boats with Japs chasing after us, and right as I got to the beach, there was just this big flash... Then this son of a bitch comes out of nowhere with a God damned katana and swings it at me," Miller then drew his finger in a slight diagonal line across the bottom of his chest, "...I managed to back away quick enough, so I only got this scratch here from the tip of that sword... Rumor said I got my leg nearly chopped off, but all I really got was this cut... With more Japanese coming from us, Sullivan took me to the boat while I'm covering him with this Jap gun... And we left, just as the charges set off the whole place like a Chinese fireworks display."

Immediately, Sullivan came up to us, a Thompson in hand, and spoke, "Get to your positions... Japs could launch an attack any moment now. We have three defensive lines here, so if this one falls, we fall back to the next one, and then hold the last until reinforcements arrive, then we drive for the remaining Japanese positions."

"We'll hold them, Sullivan," Miller spoke, then turned to me, "Better get in position, Eddie."

As Miller put on his M1 helmet and wielded his BAR rifle, I brandished a BAR gun of my own and followed him and Sullivan over into the trench, each of us taking positions there next to the numerous Marines lining the trench as we aimed our guns down the field for any approaching Japanese forces.

As we all aimed down the field, we waited... And then there was a sharp cry that emerged from the other side of the field before us, and we saw a good number of Japanese soldiers charging for us, their sharp bayonets gleaming in the sun.

"Banzai charge!" a Marine warned.

"Cut those bastards down!" Sullivan ordered.

The Marines fired their rifles, shooting down multiple enemy chargers. As the Marine line blazed with gun shots, I aimed and shot four straight ahead as Miller gunned down a couple others, then I shot two more to the right and nailed another two at the left. Sullivan blazed rounds that struck a few enemies to pieces then the Marines fired more gun shots that raked the enemy troops, cutting several of them down, then Miller fired more BAR shots that nailed a few others. As I fired some gunfire that cut four more enemies down, Sullivan aimed and shot a couple more, then the Marines blazed fire that shot multiple other enemies to bloody pieces.

As the fierce fighting went on, Miller and Sullivan kept blazing shots that gunned several more Japanese down, and while the Marines kept shooting other Japanese apart, I aimed and gunned down another two, keeping the chargers at bay. We Marines kept shooting down more of the chargers, blazing rounds at them with fierce determination to kill and making sure that they couldn't reach our line... Eventually, our gunfire had driven off the last of the Banzai chargers, and those who remained were left to scurry back.

"Hah," a Marines shouted, "Run, you fucking bastards!"

"We sure showed 'em!" another Marine said.

As the Marines cheered, they immediately put their helmets back on and made ready their guns, for we all knew that wasn't it... Sullivan sure knew it when he came over to us, "All of you get ready!" Sullivan stated towards the others. Eventually, as we all reloaded and aimed down the field again, we started hearing a mighty force coming for us, a great many of Japanese troops started coming in from the field.

"They're they are!" a Marine stated.

Numerous, possibly hundreds of Japanese were moving across the field, armed with Arisaka rifles and Type 100 guns, some charging while others readied their guns as they moved in a great swarm... But despite this fearsome force, I looked around to see that the Marines were fiercely determined to hold... The Marines would bravely defend their positions from the Japanese, which they proved as Sullivan gave the order.

"Here they come," Sullivan stated, "Open fire!"

"Shit, fire on their positions!" a Marine said as he opened fire.

"Die, you Jap bastards!" another Marine shouted.

Like that, the Marines all fired their guns intensely, firing hails on immense gunfire which cut numerous Japanese to pieces. A vicious battle ensued as the line of Marine infantry kept firing fierce gunfire from across the trench that shot multiple enemies in the field, then Miller and I fired BAR shots which nailed several other enemies as Sullivan blazed cover, striking a few more. The Marines kept firing more intense gun shots from across the trench line and cutting numerous Japanese enemies down in vicious fighting, friendly bullets bloodily tearing off limbs and flesh from enemy soldiers, then I fired my BAR and shot five more as Miller fired and gunned down several others. As Miller and Sullivan blazed cover, striking a few other enemies with bullets, I fired more intense BAR fire that shot six more Japanese to pieces, then I aimed and gunned down two more to the right as Miller fired and shot several others. The line of Marine infantry fired more hails of intense gunfire that cut multiple Japanese down as Miller gunned down a few others, then I fired BAR fire that shot five more as Sullivan nailed a couple others with Thompson bullets. Miller fired BAR fire and shot several more Japanese as I gunned down two more, then Sullivan aimed and fired, nailing a couple other enemies. As the Marines kept firing immensely fierce gun shots that riddled and cut multiple enemies down in the vicious fighting, I fired BAR shots that gunned five more down as Miller shot a few others.

The ferocious battle kept up as the line of Marines kept firing more intense gunfire, cutting numerous enemies to pieces, with bullets tearing off more bloody limbs from Japanese soldiers. As several more enemies were gunned down by Marine fire, I aimed and shot two more to the right and then gunned down another two Japanese straight ahead, then Miller fired his BAR and shot several others as Sullivan gunned down a couple more, then Miller shot a few different Japanese soldiers in the field. The Marines fired more hails of intense gun shots that cut multiple Japanese to pieces, but as the vicious fighting went on, the Japanese fired their guns back as they charged, shooting several friendlies in return. Still, the Marines kept firing their guns fiercely, stubbornly defending the trench line, then I fired and shot six more enemies as Miller and Sullivan gunned down several more. The line of Marines fired immensely fierce gunfire that shot numerous enemies to bloody pieces, tearing off limbs and flesh with strong bullets, then I aimed and shot two others, but the Japanese returned fire and gunned a few Marines down. I fired more BAR shots that gunned five down enemies while Miller shot several others, then Sullivan aimed and nailed a few more down with Thompson bullets. While fierce fighting went on with Marines firing their guns from across the trench line, riddling enemy troops and positions with bullets, I fired more BAR shots, cutting six more enemies down as Miller shot a few others, then the Marines fired gun shots that gunned several more down.

The vicious battle raged on as I aimed and shot two more, then Miller fired and gunned a few others down as I shot another two enemies to the right. As Sullivan gunned down a couple other Japanese, I fired my BAR and shot five more enemies, then the Marines fired immense gunfire that cut multiple other enemies down in the fierce fighting. The Japanese blazed shots back that struck several Marines as they moved forward, but as Miller shot several others with BAR fire, I fired my BAR as well, striking six enemies with fire. Sullivan blazed shots that gunned a few others down as the Marines fired more gunfire that ripped several more enemies down. As I shot five more Japanese with BAR shots, the enemy soldiers returned fire, gunning a few friendlies down, but then Miller shot a few other Japanese while Sullivan gunned down a couple more. As the Marines kept firing shots that raked the enemy troops and positions, the Japanese blazed rounds back that struck a few friendlies down, but I gunned down two other soldiers while Miller shot a few more, and the line of Marines fired hails of immense gunfire which cut numerous Japanese to bloody pieces, bullets ripping off the bloody limbs of some of them in the vicious fighting, then Miller fired and shot several other enemies while I gunned down five more with fierce BAR fire.

"Kill these fucking Jap bastards!" Miller said, firing his rifle furiously.

Miller and I fired immense BAR fire and shot numerous enemies while the line of Marines kept firing more fierce hails of gunfire that cut multiple other Japanese to pieces as the vicious fighting kept up. Sullivan blazed cover as I aimed and gunned down two more to the right, then fired shots that nailed five other enemies. A few Marines were struck by bullets, but Miller shot several Japanese in return while Sullivan gunned down a few others, then the Marines fired shots back that nailed down several enemies. I shot five more Japanese soldiers with BAR fire in the fierce fighting, then Miller gunned down a few others while Sullivan nailed a couple more with Thompson fire. Whilst the line of Marines were blazing fire across the trench, a few more friendlies were struck by bullets, but as Miller and Sullivan blazed cover fire and I gunned down two more Japanese, the Marines fired more gun shots that cut numerous Japanese to bloody pieces, bullets tearing off limbs and flesh, then I shot two more enemies.

The Marine trench line kept blazing gunfire in the vicious fighting, shooting several enemies as the charging Japanese blazed shots that gunned down a few friendlies. I return, I fired BAR fire and shot six Japanese then blazed cover as Miller fired his BAR and shot numerous other Japanese soldiers. A couple other Marines were gunned down, but Sullivan blazed cover that shot several enemies apart, then the Marines fired intense gunfire back which cut multiple enemies to bloody pieces. The vicious battle raged on with me shooting two other Japanese and Miller gunning down a few others, then I shot two more as Sullivan nailed a few others of his own with Thompson shots. The Marines fired more gun shots that riddled several more enemies down, though the Japanese returned fire, gunning a couple friendlies in return. However, with Miller and Sullivan blazing cover fire, I fired my BAR and shot five more Japanese, then the Marines kept firing intense gunfire, cutting numerous enemies to pieces.

"Fire on them," a Marine shouted, "Kill these bastards!"

"Burn in Hell, you Jap fuckers!" another Marine said to the enemy.

We Marines kept firing immense gunfire at the enemy force, shooting numerous Japanese soldiers in the vicious fighting. However, as I fired and shot multiple enemies and Miller gunned down several more with Sullivan blazing cover fire, we began seeing that as we shot Japanese troops, more and more enemies came in to replace them, and I also noted that our ammunition was beginning to dwindle further here... We knew we would have to fall back to the second defensive line, and after we fired shots that gunned several other enemies to bloody pieces, bullets tearing off limbs and chunks of flesh in pools of spilling blood, Sullivan would give us that order to leave.

"Everyone, fall back to the second line," Sullivan ordered, "Move it!"

As Miller and I kept firing our BAR guns and shooting numerous enemies down in a hail of fire, other Marines began falling back, with many friendlies still remaining in the trench to fire cover shots at enemy troops and allow fellow Marines to escape. Eventually, after much hard fighting, the most of the Marines fell back, with only a handful of friendlies remaining. As I fired shots that raked the enemy troops, Miller shot several more Japanese down, but another enemy came into the trench. Miller rushed the Japanese soldier and clashed his BAR against the soldier's rifle, swiping it away, but the enemy just seized hold of Miller's BAR. After much fierce wrestling for the BAR, Miller punched the Japanese soldier hard twice, knocking him back and then Miller shot him.

Miller, Sullivan and I kept firing cover shots at enemy troops, gunning multiple enemies down and allowing the rest of the Marines to escape, and that's when we took our turn to follow after them, abandoning the trench and following after the rest of the Marines to the second line of defense.

"Keep moving," Sullivan spoke, "Get to the second line, move!"

We all ran across the grasslands as fast as we could, moving along a path and entering a field, where we saw the second American line of defense. This second trench line had numerous Marine infantry lining it, all aiming their rifles down the field to confront the incoming Japanese force. We all ran over into the second trench line as more Marines lined the trench and aimed their guns down the field, and Miller, Sullivan and I also took position in the trench, aiming our guns down the field as well, just waiting to defend against the enemy.

I reloaded at an ammunition crate and got back in position to aim my BAR, and with all the Marines lining the trench and aiming their guns at the field with us, we waited, as we knew we didn't have long before the Japanese forces would show up on the field.

"Get ready and give 'em Hell, boys!" Sullivan spoke.

As we aimed our guns at the field, only a short moment passed before we started hearing sharp yells of war cries... And immediately swarms of Japanese troops appeared before us on the field, charging for our trench.

"Keep fighting," Miller shouted, "Kill these fucking bastards!"

Miller and I fired fierce BAR fire from our trench positions and shot multiple enemies while Sullivan blazed cover with his Thompson, and like that, the line of Marine infantry was firing immense hails of fierce gunfire which cut numerous Japanese soldiers to pieces, powerful bullets ripping off limbs and spilling bloody flesh from some, commencing a vicious battle where the Marines kept firing intense gunfire that shot multiple more Japanese. In the ferocious fighting, I fired my BAR and shot five enemies as Miller shot several others with his BAR and Sullivan gunned down a few more with his Thompson. With the Marines firing gun shots that raked the Japanese troops and nailed multiple enemies down, I fired intense BAR fire that shot seven more Japanese as Miller fired and cut multiple others down, then I fired more BAR shots that cut six other Japanese to pieces while Sullivan gunned down several more. A midst the vicious fighting with enemy bullets blazing around us, the Marines kept firing gun shots which cut numerous Japanese down, shredding off the limbs of some into pools of blood. While Miller shot several other Japanese with his BAR, I fired intense hails of BAR fire that cut nine Japanese down, then Sullivan gunned down a couple other enemy troops as Miller shot a few more. The line of Marines kept firing immense gun shots that cut numerous enemies down as I shot five more Japanese and Miller and Sullivan gunned several others down and as the fierce skirmish kept up with enemy bullets whizzing around, I shot five more enemies.

The vicious fighting kept up as Marines kept firing intense gun shots that nailed multiple Japanese soldiers, all while I fired my BAR and shot six other Japanese. With the Marines still firing shots that raked and pinned the enemy troops in the field, Miller fired his BAR and shot several other Japanese as Sullivan gunned down a few more with his Thompson, then Miller shot several more enemies that came onto the field. As I gunned five more enemies down with my BAR, the Marines fired intense gun shots that cut numerous enemies to pieces in the ferocious battle, bullets ripping off bloody limbs of some of them and then kept firing more gunfire that shot multiple other Japanese, though the enemy forces fired some shots back that struck several friendlies down. As the fierce fighting kept on raging furiously, Miller shot multiple Japanese with BAR fire and then I fired my BAR and shot seven more enemies, then Sullivan gunned down several others with his Thompson. The Marines fired immense hails of gunfire that shot numerous other Japanese as I fired and shot five more enemies, then the line of Marine kept firing intense gunfire that cut multiple other enemies in the field down while I shot five more Japanese with BAR fire and Miller gunned down several others as well. While Sullivan shot a few more and kept blazing cover with his Thompson, the Marines kept firing more gun shots that cut numerous other Japanese down as I fired my BAR and shot six more enemies. Miller shot several more Japanese as the line of Marine infantry kept firing gun shots that nailed multiple other Japanese and then I shot five more, but the vicious fighting kept raging ever fiercely.

"Shit, kill these fucking Japs," Miller shouted, firing his rifle, "Rip them to fucking pieces!"

"Keep holding this fucking line!" a Marine shouted.

As the fierce battle went on with the line of Marines firing intense gunfire that shot numerous Japanese to pieces, bullets ripping off the limbs of some and tearing off bloody and gory pieces of flesh, Sullivan blazed shots with his Thompson and nailed several enemies, then Miller and I fired fierce BAR fire that cut numerous other Japanese down in the vicious fighting. The Marines fired more intense gun shots that cut multiple other Japanese down and as Sullivan blazed more cover, I fired my BAR and shot six other Japanese as Miller shot several others, then I kept firing more BAR fire that shot nine more enemies. As Marine line kept firing gun shots that raked and pinned the enemy troops, a few friendlies were struck down by enemy bullets. Still, Miller fired his BAR and shot several Japanese as I gunned down five others with BAR shots, and in the vicious fighting, the Marines kept firing more intense hails of gunfire that cut numerous enemies to pieces, bullets ripping off the limbs and spilling bloody flesh from some. Sullivan gunned down a few others and then the line of Marines kept firing more immense gunfire that cut numerous other Japanese down in the fierce skirmish, and then Miller shot multiple enemy soldiers with BAR fire. I fired my BAR and shot six more Japanese as the Marines fired more gunfire that cut multiple other enemies down in the vicious battle, then I kept firing more BAR fire that shot seven other enemy soldiers as Miller gunned several more down. While the Marines kept firing fierce gun shots that raked Japanese troops, several more friendlies were struck down by enemy bullets, but I fired and shot five enemies in return and Miller shot several others, and the Marines fired more intense gunfire that shot numerous Japanese in vicious fighting. Sullivan gunned down a couple as I fired and shot five more, then the Marines fired intense gunfire that ripped multiple enemies to pieces.

The Marines kept firing more gunfire that cut numerous other Japanese down as the vicious battle raged even more fiercely, with Miller and Sullivan blazing cover, I fired BAR shots that cut down six enemies. Miller shot numerous other Japanese with BAR fire as the line of Marines kept firing more fierce gunshots that nailed multiple enemies in the fierce fighting. I gunned down two enemies to the right as Sullivan shot a few others, then I gunned down two more to the right, though a few friendlies were shot by enemy fire. In return, Miller shot several others and Sullivan gunned down a few more, then the Marines fired intense gunfire that cut multiple enemies down and I fired BAR shots that nailed five other Japanese. Miller fired more BAR fire that shot multiple other Japanese and then Sullivan gunned down a couple others with his Thompson, the two still firing shots that raked and pinned enemy troops as Marines fired more gun shots that nailed numerous other Japanese. While the fierce battle kept up, I fired BAR fire that shot six enemies and then the Marines fired intense hails of gunfire that ripped numerous Japanese to pieces, some bullets tearing off bloody limbs, then I kept firing more BAR shots that gunned five other enemies down. With Miller firing shots that gunned several more Japanese down, I aimed and shot two others as Sullivan gunned down a few more, then I shot two enemies at the right while the Marines fired intense cover shots that raked and pinned enemy troops. A few other Marines were struck by enemy bullets, but I fired BAR shots that cut five enemies down as Miller shot several others, then the Marines fired intense gunfire back that shot multiple enemies as Sullivan gunned down a couple others. In the vicious fighting, I shot five more enemies as Miller and Sullivan fired and shot multiple others, and then the line of Marines kept firing intense hails of gunfire that cut numerous enemies to pieces in the fierce skirmish as I gunned down two more straight ahead... Still, the vicious battle kept raging.

"Keep fighting," a Marine said, "Hold the line!"

"Shit, eliminate their positions!" another Marine said.

"Fire on their infantry!" a third Marine demanded.

As the fierce battle went on, Miller and I fired more BAR fire that shot multiple enemies in the vicious fighting, then the line of Marines fired their rifles and shot numerous more Japanese with hails of intense gunfire, bullets ripping off limbs and chunks of bloody flesh from enemy troops. Sullivan gunned several others down as the line of Marines kept firing gun shots... But as he looked around, he noticed that we were running low on ammunition and supplies, and that we couldn't hold out for much long. We still had one defensive line left to fall back on, and that one we knew had the largest amount of supplies. As the fighting went on and Miller and I shot numerous other Japanese with BAR fire, Sullivan gunned down a few others and then gave the order to retreat.

"Everyone fall back to the third line!" Sullivan ordered.

"Move it, come on," Miller followed with, "Move!"

Miller, Sullivan and I, along with several other Marines, kept firing intense cover shots that allowed most of the other Marines to fall back from the trench and past the field plants and palm trees to get to the third line... And soon after they left, the rest of us got out of the trench and followed after them down the path to the last defense.

We all ran down the path until we entered a field with long grass up to our legs and palm trees scattered around with a few tropical plants next to them... And in the distance, we could see the third and final defensive line a series of two trenches, the second one behind the first containing machine guns, .30 cal guns, while both trenches were lined with Marine infantry wielding M1 Garand rifles, BAR guns and Thompson sub machine guns.

We all entered and lined the trench, reloading and aiming our guns down the field. While Miller, Sullivan and all the Marines held position in the trench, I stocked up on ammunition at a nearby ammo crate and then took position in the trench near Miller and Sullivan, aiming my gun like the rest down the field, and just waiting for the Japanese to appear... This was our final line, so we would fight the hardest here to defend it... To the death even.

"This is our last line," Sullivan spoke, "We make our stand here, and we hold it to the last man! Reinforcements will be coming soon, but you'll remain here until they do, understand!"

"I'll hold them off," Miller said, "Come here and die, you Jap bastards!"

All the Marines line the trenches and aimed their rifles down at the field, just waiting... And we wouldn't have to wait long, for we saw more swarms of Japanese troops come onto the field before us, readying their weapons for their assault as we prepared our own guns to fire... Getting ready to repel this massive assault.

"Open fire," Sullivan ordered, "Hold them off!"

As with his orders, the line of Marines all fired their rifles and a vicious battle commenced as the Marines fired hails of intense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese down, then I fired BAR shots that nailed seven others. With the lines of Marines firing immense gunfire from the two trenches that shot multiple enemies, Miller shot several other Japanese and Sullivan gunned down a couple others, then the machine gun positions behind us blazed furious support shots that riddled enemy troops, tearing off the limbs and even ripping the torsos open from some. In the fierce skirmish, I fired BAR shots that cut multiple enemies to shreds as Miller shot several more with BAR fire, then I fired more BAR fire that shot six other Japanese to pieces while Sullivan gunned down a few others, and then the Marines fired intensely fierce gunfire that cut numerous other Japanese down. Still, a midst the vicious fighting, enemy return fire struck several friendlies while Marines kept blazing fire that raked enemy positions and troops. However, I gunned down two enemy soldiers as Miller fired his BAR and shot numerous other Japanese to pieces, then I shot six more enemy soldiers with fierce BAR fire as well and Sullivan gunned down a couple others. As the Marines shot numerous Japanese with fierce rifle fire, Miller shot several more soldiers and I gunned down two others, then Sullivan nailed a couple more with Thompson fire. With Miller firing cover, I fired my BAR shot and nailed five others while the Marines fired gun shots that cut multiple enemies down as I shot two more.

While fierce fighting kept up with Marines firing hails of gunfire that shot numerous Japanese soldiers, Miller shot several more enemies with BAR fire as I fired my BAR and shot six more Japanese. A few Marines were struck by enemy bullets, but then Miller fired shots that gunned several others down while Sullivan nailed a few more with Thompson shots in return, and then friendly machine guns raked and pinned some enemy troops. The fierce battle raged as the Marines all fired their rifles and shot numerous other Japanese to pieces, then I fired BAR fire that shot nine more Japanese as well, then Miller gunned down a few enemies as the Marines fired more gunfire that shot multiple other Japanese. The lines of Marines kept blazing rifle fire as Miller shot several other enemy soldiers and then I shot six Japanese soldiers and then firing more BAR fire that cut five others down, though several friendlies were struck by enemy gun shots. Sullivan nailed several more enemies with Thompson fire and then Miller shot a few others, and while I fired BAR fire that cut seven more Japanese down, Miller gunned down a few more. The Marines kept firing intense gunfire that cut numerous other enemies to pieces, bullets tearing off limbs, then I fired BAR shots that gunned five other Japanese down while Miller shot several others.

"More Japanese incoming," a Marine noted, "Keep firing on them!"

"Shit, enemy gunfire!" a Marine shouted.

Miller and Sullivan kept firing shots that raked other Japanese down, but more and more enemy soldiers just came in to replace them, so I fired supporting shots that pinned some of them down as the line of Marines all fired intense rifle fire that cut multiple Japanese to pieces in vicious fighting. As Sullivan blazed cover that nailed a few more Japanese, I fired my BAR and shot nine other enemies as Miller shot several others with BAR fire. As Miller and I fired covering shots, the Marines fired intense gunfire that shot numerous enemies and then Sullivan gunned down a couple others with his Thompson. Everything was absolute chaos as fiery bullets rained and whizzed everywhere, but we all kept fighting even fiercely to hold back the Japanese assault, with me firing BAR shots that cut multiple enemies down and Miller and Sullivan shooting a few others. Our men kept defending as machine guns behind us blazed cover, with the Marines firing more gunfire that cut numerous other Japanese down, and as Sullivan gunned a couple enemies down, I fired BAR shots that cut six more Japanese to pieces. Miller then shot several other enemies as the Marines fired more gunfire which cut multiple enemies down.

"Fight them," a Marine demanded furiously, "Kill these fucking bastards!"

"Shit, Japanese infantry!" another Marine stated.

"Come on, you Jap cowards!" a Marine shouted at the enemy.

With Marines still firing hails of intense gunfire that shot numerous Japanese in vicious fighting, I fired and shot five other enemies as Miller gunned down a few others. I then shot six more with BAR fire as Sullivan nailed a couple enemy soldiers with Thompson rounds and Miller shot several other Japanese. The Marines kept firing more hails of immense gunfire that shot numerous Japanese in the fierce battle, then I fired and shot seven more Japanese soldiers as Miller fired BAR shots that nailed several other more enemies and Sullivan gunned down a few others. However in the midst of the fierce skirmish, several friendlies were gunned down by enemy fire, but we kept defending even fiercely as the Japanese pressed on. Fighting with greater determination, Miller fired BAR fire that cut multiple enemies down, then I shot five others with BAR fire while the Marines fired intense and fierce gunfire that cut multiple enemies to pieces, bullets tearing off limbs and flesh. While the Marines shot multiple other Japanese in the vicious fighting, a few friendlies were struck by enemy bullets as well, so Miller and Sullivan gunned several enemies down in return as I fired my BAR and shot numerous other Japanese as well. Machine guns kept blazing support and Marine infantry kept firing gun shots that raked enemy positions and troops, either cutting them down or pinning them, and I aimed and gunned two more down to the right as Miller nailed a few others with BAR shots, then I fired and shot five other Japanese, though, a few other friendlies were gunned down... So in return, I fired BAR fire that shot six enemies while the Marines fired gunfire that cut numerous other Japanese to pieces, then I aimed and gunned down two more to the right as the fierce fighting went on.

The vicious battle continued as the lines of Marines kept firing intense hails of gunfire that cut numerous Japanese down, and while I fired BAR shots that nailed seven other Japanese, the Marines kept firing more gun shots that tore multiple other enemies to pieces, bullets shredding off flesh and limbs. Still, as Marines kept blazing fire that raked the Japanese forces, enemy bullets came in and struck several friendlies down, so I fired BAR shots that cut nine Japanese to shreds while Miller shot several others with his BAR. As Miller and Sullivan kept blazing cover shots, the Marines fired more intense gunfire that shot numerous enemies to pieces, then I shot six other Japanese soldiers with BAR fire in the vicious fighting. Miller gunned down a few other soldiers as Sullivan nailed several more with Thompson rounds, then Miller gunned down a couple others. In the vicious battle, I fired BAR shots that nailed five other Japanese and the Marines kept firing more immense gunfire that shot multiple other Japanese to pieces, in which I then fired more BAR fire that shot six other Japanese. A few other friendlies were struck by Japanese bullets, so Miller fired shots that nailed several enemies as Sullivan gunned down a few others, then Miller shot several more. As Miller and Sullivan blazed cover, the Marines fired gun shots that cut down multiple Japanese soldiers, then I fired my BAR and shot seven more enemy soldiers. Sullivan gunned down a couple other soldiers as Miller nailed a few more with BAR shots, and as the Marines kept firing more rifle fire that cut numerous enemies down, I shot five more Japanese as Miller shot several others... We still kept defending the trenches.

"You dirty fucking Jap filth," a Marine shouted angrily, "I'll kill all of you!"

We Marines kept fighting in the vicious battle, firing more intense gunfire that cut multiple other Japanese to pieces, bullets tearing off limbs and flesh while leaving them strewn on the field in pools of splattering blood. Still, as the fighting went on, with Miller and I firing BAR shots that gunned numerous Japanese down as Sullivan shot several others with his Thompson... We started seeing more Marines come in behind us, with several tanks in support... Our reinforcements had arrived to help us drive back the enemy forces.

We kept firing on the Japanese advance as our reinforcements came in, with Miller and I firing more BAR shots that nailed multiple enemies in the fierce skirmish, then the Marines fired more immense gun shots that razed numerous enemies while Sullivan gunned several others down... Soon enough, after much hard fighting, the Japanese forces were diminishing, and our reinforcements blazed supporting fire that started driving them back.

"Let's get after 'em," Sullivan spoke, "Everyone, up and over, move forward!"

That was it, the enemy force was in full retreat now, and now it was our turn... We all rushed out of the trenches and charged forth past the grassy fields and tree laden pathways, shooting down any Japanese troops in our way. We were now bent on destroying their positions and seizing the island.


	14. M-6: Kill 'em, Burn 'em - Pt 2

The battle had been hard, but we prevailed and defended our gains, and as US Marines... With Miller and Sullivan at my side, we lead the Marines in striking back even harder as we made our way across the fields and the island.

We charged forth past the trees, shooting down any Japanese soldiers in our way. I aimed and gunned down a couple enemies as the Marines blazed shots that nailed several other Japanese in the trees, then I shot a few more in the palm trees as well. Soon we moved past the line of trees and came to a pathway leading to a hill, which contained a defensive line of Japanese riflemen and machine guns, so we charged for it.

"The Japs have a defensive line over there!" Miller stated.

"Everyone, move forward," Sullivan demanded, "Use the tanks for cover!"

The enemy trench line on the hill began blazing tense rifle and machine gun fire, which cut numerous advancing Marines down. However, we still advanced under the hail of bullets raining down on us. Many Marines crouched and lay on the ground, firing their rifles and raking the enemy line with furious gun shots, while other Marines charged towards the hill, blazing rifle shots as well. I fired a hail of BAR fire at the enemy line, riddling it with supporting shots and then I ran over to take cover behind one of the few Shermans with us. Miller fired intense BAR shots at the line and ran over with me and Sullivan, advancing from behind the tank, and soon, groups of other Marines were moving behind the Sherman tanks, including ours.

"Keep firing on their trench line!" a Marine shouted.

Several other Marines were gunned down by machine gun fire, but as I moved behind the tank, I kept firing supporting shots at the enemy line, raking it with fire as we moved forward. As Miller fired and gunned down a few enemy soldiers in the opposing trench, I fired BAR shots of my own, striking several enemies to to pieces while Sullivan blazed cover. In the vicious fighting as we advanced, the Marines fired hails of gunfire that cut down multiple enemies while still firing shots that raked the enemy line. As Miller shot a few Japanese, I aimed and fired my BAR, gunning four others down as Sullivan shot a couple more, then I shot two others to the right, then as the Sherman tanks shot off shells at the enemy trench, I gunned down two more as the Marines kept firing their rifles at the enemy trench, raking it with immense fire as we advanced across the short field.

The Japanese kept blazing fierce machine gun rounds at our advance, but we made use of the Sherman tanks for cover, and we kept firing rifle shots at the enemy trench line as we moved behind the armor. The Shermans blazed tank shells that took out a couple enemy machine gun nests. As I gunned down two more Japanese, I aimed for and blazed rounds at a machine gun, shooting down the gunners and then I fired more BAR shots that nailed four other Japanese soldiers before aiming for and gunning down the operators of a second machine gun nest. The Japanese blazed fire that struck multiple friendlies down, but I fired and shot four more enemies while Miller and Sullivan blazed cover, striking down a few others. I gunned down two more with precise aim as Miller fired covering shots, allowing the Marines to fire their rifles and shoot several more enemies, then I shot two more.

"Move it," a Marine ordered, "Get to the hill!"

"Strike their fucking trench line!" another Marine shouted.

We advanced across the small field of long grass between the trees and the hill, moving behind the tanks which blazed round upon round on the Japanese line. Eventually, we reached the bottom of the hill, and we Marines emerged from our tank cover and formed a line of infantry at the bottom of the hill, with all of us crouching or laying down on the ground and then aiming and firing barrages of fiery bullets at the enemy line above. The Marines fired hails of intense gunfire, cutting numerous enemies down in the vicious fighting as we braved incoming enemy return fire from the trench. Miller fired and shot several enemies as Sullivan gunned down a few others, then I fired my BAR, shooting five others to pieces. As Miller gunned down a few others, I aimed and nailed two more with precise shots, then Sullivan blazed cover as I fired more BAR fire that shot six other Japanese before aiming to the right and shooting a machine gunner.

The fierce battle raged on with the Marines firing their rifles and shooting more Japanese to bloody pieces. A midst the blazing bullets that whizzed past, the Japanese returned fire and gunned several friendlies down in return, but we kept on firing on their line, raking their positions and pinning them down as the Sherman tanks sitting behind us blazed suppression on them. While Sullivan aimed and gunned down a couple more. I fired more BAR fire and shot five other Japanese in a hail of shots before aiming for and shooting a machine gunner while Miller fired and shot several more Japanese. While the Marines fired on the Japanese riflemen, I aimed and shot down another machine gunner as Sullivan and Miller blazed cover, then I shot two other Japanese riflemen which allowed the other Marines to fire gun shots that cut multiple enemies down.

"Tear these fucking Japs to pieces!" a Marine shouted.

We all kept firing furiously on the enemy line, and soon, we eliminated the machine guns and only a handful of riflemen was remaining in the trench line... That's when we made our move.

The Marines all rushed up the hill with the Shermans following after us, all of them blazing shots that raked the enemy positions, shooting down several Japanese. We quickly reached the top and all of us were firing into the trench, furiously gunning down any remaining Japanese soldiers, and those who tried to flee were cut off by a second group of Marines, who fired numerous shots into the enemy troops, making sure they were all dead.

"Move up over the hill!" Sullivan ordered.

We moved up the pathway going up the hill, and once we reached over the top, we saw different Japanese defensive positions, trenches, nests before us with crates and palm trees scattered around. Along with entrenched positions and nests lined with sandbags and grass, there were a few pillboxes to the right.

"Shit," Miller said, "Hit these fucking defensive positions!"

The Marines entered into a vicious battle with the Japanese forces in the area. While a second, larger group of Marines broke off to engage a Japanese trench line and bunkers to the right, Miller, Sullivan and I lead groups of Marines in fighting the Japanese in the defensive positions.

Taking position by a tree, I aimed and gunned two enemies down as Miller and Sullivan fired cover from a sandbag nest, shooting several Japanese to pieces while I fired more BAR fire and shot five other enemies to pieces. Taking positions by sandbags, crates and trees, the Marines engaged the Japanese in vicious fighting, firing their guns and shooting Japanese soldiers to pieces, bullets tearing off and spilling limbs off some. As I fired more BAR shots which nailed six more enemies, the Marines kept firing hails of intense gunfire from their positions at the Japanese, cutting numerous enemies down in fierce fighting as friendly bullets raked the enemy positions. Miller fired his BAR and shot several others as Sullivan gunned down a few more, though the Japanese blazed shots back that took out a couple friendlies, but I aimed and shot two others and then kept firing more BAR shots that cut five more down. As the vicious battle kept up, a midst the flying enemy gun shots blazing from enemy positions, the Marines kept firing immense gunfire and shooting multiple Japanese, then I gunned down two more as Miller fired and shot several more enemies. Sullivan shot a couple more enemy soldiers and then blazed cover as Miller fired his BAR and shot a few others to pieces, then the Marines kept firing hails of gun shots that cut numerous Japanese to pieces in their positions, Marine gunfire shooting up and eliminating a couple positions in the vicious fighting.

The vicious fighting for the defensive positions kept on raging furiously as Marines kept firing their guns from different positions at the Japanese soldiers, shooting multiple enemies with bullets tearing and spilling bloody flesh apart, I rushed over to a small set of crates next to a couple palm trees with Miller blazing cover, then I fired my BAR and shot five Japanese. Miller shot multiple Japanese with BAR fire as Sullivan gunned down a few other enemies, though enemy gun shots blazed back and struck several friendlies down. After I gunned down two other Japanese, the Marines kept firing intense gunfire from their positions, cutting numerous enemies to pieces as they kept shooting at the enemy positions, riddling them with bullets in vicious fighting, then I fired more BAR fire and shot six other Japanese with the fierce battle heating up further. I then moved to a sandbag lined nest with Miller as Sullivan gunned down a couple other enemies, then Miller and I fired BAR shots which nailed numerous Japanese. A midst the flying bullets, enemy gun shots struck several other Marines down, but I aimed and gunned down two others as Miller shot a few more, then I gunned down another two soldiers to the right. Miller and Sullivan blazed cover that struck a few more Japanese as I fired my BAR and shot five more enemies to pieces, then the Marines fired shots that cut multiple other enemies down, riddling their positions with intense gunfire as I shot five other Japanese, then gunned down two more by a crate before gunning two different positions to pieces.

"I'll send you Jap bastards to Hell!" a Marine shouted.

"Fire on their positions!" another Marine stated.

"Shit, enemy gunfire!" a third Marine said.

Moving to a set of crates by some tall grass, I fired more BAR fire and shot six other Japanese as Miller fired and gunned down a few others. The Marines kept fighting fiercely in the fierce battle, firing immense hails of gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces as they kept shooting at the enemy positions, eliminating them one by one in a flurry of volleys. Return fire from the Japanese took out a couple Marines, but as Sullivan gunned a few enemies down, and Miller and I shot multiple others with BAR fire, the Marines kept shooting more Japanese soldiers, riddling their positions with bullets as they kept fighting past their defenses. I shot up and eliminated a position before gunning down two soldiers, then Sullivan blazed rounds that struck a couple other enemies as I fired and shot five more Japanese. Miller fired his BAR and shot several more as enemy rounds blazed back and struck a few Marines, but I aimed and gunned down two other soldiers, covering the Marines as they fired more shots that riddled and cut down numerous more Japanese, then I gunned down two more. As the Marine gunfire shot up and eliminated a few Japanese defensive positions, Miller and Sullivan gunned down several other enemies, then I aimed and gunned two more positions to pieces, eliminating them before firing more BAR shots that nailed five other Japanese.

"Kill these fucking Jap bastards!" a Marine shouted.

"Enemy infantry!" another Marine said.

I fired and shot six more Japanese as Miller gunned a few others down with BAR fire, and though a couple more friendlies were struck by gun shots, the Marines fired intense gunfire back and shot multiple enemies to pieces. I shot up and eliminated another position and ran over to take position by the wall of a pillbox as Miller and Sullivan blazed cover before aiming and gunning two more Japanese down. With the Marines firing cover from their positions, raking the enemy defenses with fiery bullets, Miller and Sullivan came over to a position lined with sandbags, ready to help me get rid of the last of the Japanese defenses. A few other friendly soldiers were struck down by Japanese bullets, but as I shot five other enemies, then Marines kept firing more fierce gun shots that cut numerous enemies down, as well as shooting up and destroying a couple other positions, then Miller gunned down a few other Japanese while Sullivan blazed rounds that struck a couple more. I aimed and shot up two more positions as Miller gunned a few other soldiers, then I fired my BAR and shot six other Japanese while Miller and Sullivan blazed cover. I gunned down two more enemies while Miller and Sullivan shot a couple others, though the Japanese fired and gunned down a couple more Marines. Still, we kept fighting, for I shot another position to pieces while Miller fired and shot several more Japanese and Sullivan nailed a couple others with Thompson bullets. The Marines fired more gunfire that cut numerous other Japanese down, and I then fired and shot five enemies.

The Marines and Japanese kept firing fierce gun shots at each others' positions in a fierce skirmish, and in the middle of the intensity and flying bullets, Miller and I ran over to take cover by a couple palm trees and a few crates wreathed in grass, firing our BAR guns on the way. While Sullivan blazed cover rounds, I fired my BAR and shot six more Japanese, then the Marines fired some furious gunshots that riddled and gunned down multiple enemies, then Miller shot several others with his BAR. Sullivan gunned down a couple more Japanese as the Marines kept firing shots that raked the Japanese positions to pieces, then I fired my BAR and shot five others before shooting apart a position, then Miller gunned down a few more enemies. A midst the tense enemy bullets whizzing around, the Marines fired intense gunfire and shot numerous Japanese to pieces, bullets shredding off the limbs of some, then I gunned down two others at the right before shooting up and destroying a position, then I gunned another two enemies straight down. Miller shot several more Japanese as Sullivan gunned down a couple more, then the Marines fired furious gunfire that cut multiple enemies down, while still blazing shots that raked and eliminated a few more positions. As Miller and and Sullivan fired intense cover, I fired a hail of BAR shots that gunned five more Japanese down in the vicious fighting, then I gunned down another two before shooting a machine gunner.

"Come on, you Jap cowards!" a Marine shouted.

As the Marines kept firing and shooting down more Japanese soldiers and tearing apart enemy positions with machine gun fire and grenades, I could see we were nearly finished destroying the last of the Japanese defensive positions. I fired my BAR and shot numerous enemies as Miller gunned several more down, then I shot up another position before nailing a machine gunner with supporting fire. A Banzai charger came in, but Miller rushed the enemy and seized hold of his rifle, wrestling him fiercely for it, just before Miller punched the Japanese soldier hard twice before shooting him with his BAR. I shot two more enemies as Sullivan blazed cover and then I rushed a Japanese and slashed him down with my knife before shooting up and eliminating another last position... Soon, after much vicious fighting, we eliminated the positions and most infantry in the region, allowing us to move on.

"Move up," Sullivan ordered, "Move down the pathway!"

We shot down the rest of the Japanese in the area and moved further down the pathway with other Marines and two Sherman tanks following in from behind. Here, we found some enemy forces in a grassy field with different palm trees situated at points, along with several Chi Ha tanks and two medium sized machine gun pillboxes behind them, covered in grass, and some soldiers as well.

"Jap machine guns and tanks," Sullivan warned, "Burn those fuckers!"

While Sullivan and the Marines blazed cover fire, Miller and I fired our guns and shot several Japanese soldiers, then I aimed to the right and gunned four more down. The Sherman tanks rolled in and blazed shells that blasted apart two of the Chi Ha tanks, reducing them to blazing ruins. However, the three other Chi Ha tanks came in and fired on them, and though the Shermans tried to fend them off, the enemy shells blasted them apart.

"Shit!" Miller exclaimed.

"We'll need to take a manual approach," Sullivan said, "Henderson, find a bazooka and demolish those damned tanks... Miller, cover him!"

"Yes, sir." Miller responded.

I gunned down two more Japanese as Miller and Sullivan shot a few more, then I ran over to a foxhole, just barely escaping the bullets of the enemy pillboxes. I waited as several Type 92 bullets raked the foxhole, and once Miller blazed cover, I ran over to another foxhole, where to my luck, I found a bazooka waiting.

A couple Marines blazed fire from a nearby foxhole, shooting down several enemy soldiers as I picked up the bazooka, though a few Marines were gunned down by the machine gun fire from the two pillboxes. I aimed the rocket launcher at one of the enemy tanks, and with concentration, I fired a rocket, blasting the enemy tank apart, which had been previously damaged in the fight with the Shermans.

"Burn those Jap bastards, Eddie!" Miller shouted.

Now alarmed, the other Chi Ha tanks fired a couple shells over towards me, striking the ground outside the foxhole. I took out my BAR again and gunned down four more Japanese soldiers as the few Marines nearby blazed cover, then I held the bazooka again and aimed it at the second tank, firing a shell that struck its side. The armor tried to move, but once I loaded another rocket into the tube, I concentrated and shot off another projectile, destroying the tank once and for all. There was still one more tank left, and it fired another shell that pounded the ground near me... But I remained undeterred, for I just aimed and fired another rocket... Only for it to miss as the tank moved. Still, I loaded another rocket and aimed, concentrating and then firing until it hit the front of the armor. As I loaded another rocket, the tank moved again, but I aimed down where it was headed, blasting off a rocket that struck the tank just as it came by, blasting it to smouldering pieces.

"Yeah, that's it!" Miller shouted, exuberant.

"Good work, Henderson," Sullivan complimented, "Now let's take those pillboxes!"

"Let's tear those bastards apart!" an excited Marine said.

We all then ran over towards the two pillboxes, all of us taking position in foxholes or by fallen palm trees while others simply laid on the ground a midst the tall grass. Machine gun fire from the pillboxes tore several Marines down, shredding off the limbs of a couple in a pool of splattering blood, and numerous Japanese soldiers appeared out of the grass to fire their guns in support as well... But once we were in position, the Marines were firing their rifles in return, raking the enemy positions with intense gunfire.

A few other Marines were struck by gun shots, but the Marines fired furious gunfire back and shot multiple enemies in the grass. Still, several Banzai chargers also emerged from the grass, but Marine gun shots blazed and tore them down. A few more chargers emerged from the grass, but Miller, Sullivan and I aimed and shot them down, then I fired my BAR and shot five more enemies positioned by the grass near the pillboxes as Miller and Sullivan gunned down a few others. Enemy gun shots struck a few friendlies down with powerful bullets, but as I gunned down two other soldiers in the grass and Miller shot a few more, the Marines fired their guns and nailed several enemies in return with fiery bullets.

"Miller, ya' see that foxhole over there?" Sullivan said, pointing to the crater near the front of the pillboxes.

"Shit... I see it, Tom." Miller replied, firing cover with his BAR at enemy positions.

"It should serve as a position where you can hit the gunners of those pillboxes... Take Henderson, I'll cover you, then follow up shortly."

"Right," Miller replied, "Eddie and I will strike it."

"Okay... Ready," Sullivan stated, then he aimed his Thompson and blazed furious rounds at the pillboxes, pinning down the gunners, "Cover! Move it, boys!"

"Eddie," Miller spoke to me, "Come on, let's move it!"

As Sullivan and several Marines fired more shots at the pillboxes, Miller and I ran over to our objective, the foxhole just near the pillboxes, and we just barely got there before the machine gunner turned its attention back on us. With us there, Miller and I fired immense BAR fire on the enemy positions, shooting multiple soldiers in the grass and raking the pillboxes, furious bullets riddling pieces off of it while pinning down the gunners. This allowed Sullivan to rush over and join us, just as the machine guns resumed fire and shot a few other Marines.

"Shit!" Miller exclaimed.

"...I think I can clear that out," Sullivan said, "You cover me, shoot down those gunners if possible... I get over there and blow those fuckers out with grenades!"

I gunned down four others while Miller fired his BAR and shot several more in a hail of fire, then I nailed two more enemies with BAR shots. Though he knew Sullivan did things like that before, Miller raised his concerns.

"It's fucking risky," Miller said, "I'll handle it!"

"I'll be okay, Chris," Sullivan responded, sensing the Marine's worry for him, "You and Henderson just cover me."

"Shit... Fine." Miller replied.

Still having faith in his commander, Miller handed Sullivan some grenades. Miller shot a few other enemies while I gunned down two more, then I aimed for the pillbox to the right and shot down one of the two gunners, though the enemy was simply replaced by another... But that's when Sullivan made his move.

"Cover him, Eddie!" Miller shouted.

The two of us then fired on the pillbox, shooting down a few Japanese soldiers before raking the left pillbox windows with bullets, and with concentrated fire, I shot down one of the gunners. Sullivan managed to reach the side of the left pillbox, and as he did so, I aimed and shot the other gunner, allowing Sullivan to move over to the window, prime and throw in two grenades and get to cover behind the pillbox wall as the grenades blew apart the left pillbox, which Sullivan followed with by firing his Thompson into the window.

Miller and I kept firing on the Japanese near the right pillbox, shooting several enemies in the grass. I gunned down four more Japanese as Miller shot a few more, allowing Sullivan to run up further. After I nailed two more with BAR fire, Sullivan nearly reached the side of the right pillbox, so I aimed for and shot down one of the machine gunners before shooting two other Japanese soldiers in the grass. As Miller blazed cover, I took precise aim and shot the other machine gunner, bloodily riddling him with bullets. This got Sullivan to reach the window and throw in a grenade before running back to us as the pillbox exploded... The pillboxes were done for.

"Move forward, Marines!" Sullivan ordered.

Sullivan, Miller and I lead the other Marines down the pathway past the pillboxes which immediately entered more of the grassy field with different palm trees, but behind it, we could see some jungle, the path going on while dense trees covered the sides.

"Keep moving forward," Sullivan said, "We'll clear that jungle!"

"Banzai!" we suddenly heard from Japanese soldiers, some camouflaged, as they emerged from the tall grass in the field as well as in the trees. Some soldiers positioned themselves to fire their guns while others charged with bayonets, and those in the trees took sniper shots.

"Shit, they're charging!" Miller said.

"Jap snipers in the trees!" a Marine warned.

Miller and I fired our guns and shot a few of the Banzai chargers, though Japanese soldiers remaining behind in the grass fired their guns and gunned several Marines down, a couple being struck by snipers in the trees. As a fierce skirmish broke out, the Marines fired their guns back and shot multiple enemies in the grass, shooting down several chargers as well. I fired and shot five enemy soldiers as Miller gunned down a few more, then Sullivan aimed and blazed shots that nailed a couple other Japanese. Miller shot another Banzai charger as I gunned down two more soldiers in the grass, though a couple chargers broke through... But Marines engaged them, with one smacking an enemy hard with a couple swipes of his rifle stock and another Marine flipping over another charger and then beating him out with his rifle as well. I fired more BAR shots, nailing five more Japanese, and then I gunned down a sniper in a palm tree as the Marines blazed cover, then I slashed another down with my knife.

A few other Marines were struck by gun shots, but Sullivan fired and gunned down a couple others as I shot another tree sniper. Miller ran over to a tree, firing his BAR to shoot several other Japanese, but one when one came near him, he rushed the enemy and seized hold of his arms, wrestling him fiercely and then Miller punched the Japanese soldier hard with his right fist and then shot him with his BAR. The Marines fired more gun shots that cut numerous other Japanese down as I shot two others, then aimed and gunned down another in a tree as Sullivan and Miller shot a few more. The Marines fired more gun shots that nailed several other enemies as I fired my BAR and shot five other Japanese... Eventually, after hard fighting, we cleared away the Japanese troops here.

"Move into the jungle!" Sullivan ordered.

The Marines moved further down the pathway and entered into the jungle, where some Marines kept on the pathway through the trees while others broke off and moved past the trees themselves. As we moved through, more Japanese soldiers appeared in the trees, blazing shots.

"Shit, Jap infantry!" a Marine said.

I took position in near a couple trees, aiming my BAR and shooting two Japanese while enemy gun shots blazed and cut several friendlies down. Miller and Sullivan took position by a fallen tree and fired cover that raked the enemy troops, then as they took position by trees and plants, the Marines fired their guns and shot numerous Japanese soldiers in a hail of immense gunfire. As a vicious skirmish raged, Miller and I fired our BAR guns and shot multiple enemies as Sullivan gunned down a few others, then I fired and shot five other Japanese in the jungle. A midst the fighting, Miller shot several more Japanese as Sullivan gunned down a few others, and though the Marines blazed furious cover shots, the enemy forces still fired off bullets that struck a few friendly troops down. Still, in return, Miller fired BAR shots which nailed a few Japanese as I gunned down two more enemies, then aimed and shot another in a tree, then the Marines fired fierce gun shots from their tree positions, cutting several enemies down as their bullets riddled and splintered past the tree cover of the enemy. The vicious fighting in the jungle kept up as the two sides kept shooting at each other, bullets flying and whizzing past the trees, splitting the wood. As Miller shot several other Japanese with BAR fire as Sullivan gunned down a couple others, and while I fired my BAR and shot five more Japanese, Sullivan threw a grenade that bloodily tore off the legs of a couple enemies in a blast. I then gunned down two others as the Marines fired more shots that cut multiple other enemies down in the jungle.

"Keep fighting," a Marine shouted, firing his gun, "Kill these fucking Japs!"

The fighting in the dense jungle was brutal, and a couple other Marines were struck, but we kept shooting more enemies down with Miller, Sullivan and I gunning several down, and then we cleared away further resistance to move up the path leading through the trees. I moved through the trees and took position by another palm tree, where I aimed and gunned down a sniper in a tree before firing more shots that nailed four other enemies. Miller and Sullivan fired covering shots, allowing me to move forward, where a Japanese soldier came at me, but I seized hold of his arms and wrestled him fiercely before I then punched him hard twice before stabbing him with my knife. I aimed my BAR again to shoot more enemy troops as Marines kept firing shots that raked enemy tree positions and shot more enemy soldiers, riddling them with bullets that pierced and spilled their bloody flesh.

"Chase 'em into the trees!" Miller said, excited.

We moved even further through the trees, shooting several other enemies who remained in our path. We then found more Japanese defenses, with enemy soldiers behind small dispersed cover lines made of sandbags and fallen trees down the jungle before us. They were mostly just riflemen armed with Arisaka rifles and Type 100 guns, but there were other fallen trees just before us as well, with the pathway continuing on between them, and we could use these fallen trees for cover to engage the enemy defenses.

"Japanese defenses," Miller warned, "More of them in the jungle!"

"Marines," Sullivan stated, "Engage their defenses, shred those bastards!"

As Marines charged forth to cover, firing their rifles at the enemy positions, Japanese gunfire blazed right back and struck several friendlies down. Still, many Marines lined along the fallen trees near us and, using them for cover, fired immense gunfire back at the Japanese positions, cutting multiple enemies down in a hail of rifle shots. While most Marines lined and fired their guns from the fallen trees, blazing furious volleys of shots at the Japanese positions, some other friendlies took position by trees behind us and to the side, blazing supporting fire. A vicious battle ensued as the Marines kept firing gun shots that raked the Japanese positions, nailing several enemies to pieces while enemy bullets blazed back and struck a few friendlies as well.

With the two sides firing furious bullets at each other, I took position near a tree and fired my BAR, shooting five more Japanese as Miller and Sullivan fired cover shots by different trees to pin down enemy troops. The Marines lining the fallen trees kept firing intense gunfire and shooting numerous enemies down, then I fired BAR fire and gunned down six others as Miller shot a few others and Sullivan blazed fire that nailed a couple more. A couple other friendlies were struck by bullets, but as I fired BAR fire and shot five other Japanese to pieces, the Marines fired their guns from their fallen tree cover and shot several enemies in return, and the fierce fighting kept up. A midst the enemy bullets flying around, the Marines kept firing shots that raked the enemy positions, riddling their cover with bullets, with Miller firing his BAR and shooting several Japanese while Sullivan gunned down a few others, and while the Marines kept blazing cover shots that pinned the enemies down, I aimed and shot two other Japanese by a couple trees, then the Marines fired immense gunfire that cut numerous enemies to bloody pieces, bullets ripping off limbs from enemies, though Japanese return fire struck a couple friendly troops. Still, we kept fighting fiercely as Miller shot several other Japanese and Sullivan gunned down a couple more, then I fired my BAR and shot five other enemies as the Marines fired their guns and from their tree cover and shot multiple others, then I aimed and gunned down two others coming onto the path to engage.

The vicious fighting in the jungle raged as the Marines kept firing their rifles from tree cover at Japanese positions, all while braving the intense enemy gunfire. Miller fired and shot a few enemies as I fired my BAR and gunned down five other Japanese while Sullivan blazed cover. As the Marines fired their rifles and shot several more Japanese soldiers, I gunned down another two by some trees, but the Japanese blazed bullets back that struck a few friendlies down. Still, Miller and Sullivan fired shots that raked the enemy positions, then I fired my BAR and shot five more Japanese, allowing the Marines to fire more fierce gunfire and shoot multiple enemies to bloody pieces. The fierce skirmish kept up further with Japanese gun shots blazing around us in a heated exchange, making this jungle even more unnecessarily hot, but we held our ground with stubborn determination as Marines kept firing furious bullets at Japanese positions, raking their tree cover to pieces. With much hard fighting occurring, Miller fired his BAR and shot several more Japanese soldiers as I shot five others with immense BAR fire, then Sullivan gunned down a few others with his Thompson. With Miller and Sullivan blazing cover, the Marines fired shots that cut numerous other Japanese down, then I aimed and gunned down two others by some plants.

"Shit, enemy gunfire!" a Marine stated.

"Fire on their fucking defenses!" another Marine ordered.

The Marines kept firing their guns at the Japanese defenses in the trees, shooting more enemies down as bullets ripped their cover to pieces. Miller, Sullivan and I shot several other Japanese and, after much hard fighting, we cleared away the rest of the Japanese defensive positions here, allowing us to move further down the path.

"Get on down that pathway," Sullivan demanded, "Clear the rest of the jungle!"

We moved further down the pathway, rushing through the trees, but once we took a turn, a machine gun nest armed with a Type 92 gun opened up by a set of palm trees and fired, blazing powerful rounds that tore the legs off a couple Marines and forcing other friendlies into cover.

"Shit, machine gun!" a Marine shouted.

"Henderson," Miller said, "Nail that machine gunner!"

Several other Marines blazed rounds at the nest, but they were driven back behind their cover as the machine gun fired and pinned them down, shooting a few more friendly troops. Several Japanese soldiers appeared in the grass to attack as well, but Miller and I fired BAR fire and shot a few down as Sullivan blazed cover that struck a couple others. One Japanese threw a Kiska grenade near us, but like a reflex, I picked it up and threw it back at them, the blast taking out a couple enemies. I then ran over to a tree and blazed fire that raked the enemy nest, but I was forced back into cover by the machine gun's return fire. Still, Miller and Sullivan fired cover and shot a few soldiers, then I aimed and gunned down two others in the grass, then I fired at the nest again before dodging some return rounds. But Miller still fired cover shots, which allowed me to aim with concentration and then shoot down the gunner and his crewmen before finishing it off with a grenade... The machine gun was done.

"Great work, Eddie," Miller rejoiced, "You sure showed 'em!"

"Move out, men!" Sullivan ordered.

Emerging from the trees, Sullivan, Miller and I moved past the machine gun nest with many other Marines following after, and we rushed further down the path. Shortly, as we moved further down, we came upon more Japanese defensive positions made of sandbag lines and fallen trees. behind these entrenched positions were more soldiers armed with rifles and sub machine guns, though there were also a few Type 99 guns mounted on the fallen trees, and they blazed hails of gun shots as we furiously advanced, with many Marines lining along fallen trees near us or taking position by standing trees behind or to the side and fired their guns back just as fiercely at the enemy.

"Japanese defenses," Miller said, "Tear these fucking bastards to shreds!"

"Send these bastards to Hell!" a Marine demanded furiously.

Vicious fighting ensued as enemy gunfire blazed and struck several friendlies down, but as I aimed my BAR and gunned down two enemies by a tree, the Marines fired immense gunfire back from their positions and shot multiple Japanese, then I fired my gun and shot five more Japanese. With the two sides blazing fierce gun shots at each other, raking their cover pieces with furious bullets, Miller fired and shot several other enemies as Sullivan gunned down a few more, then the Marines fired immense gunfire which cut numerous Japanese down. I fired and shot five more Japanese, but enemy bullets blazed back and struck a few friendly soldiers, with a couple Marines being shot down by machine guns. However, as I gunned down two more enemies, the Marines fired their guns and shot several enemies in return, their powerful bullets tearing off limbs and bloody flesh off enemy soldiers, then I fired more BAR fire and shot six enemies as Miller and Sullivan gunned down a few others. As the fierce skirmish went on, Miller shot several more enemies as Sullivan gunned down a couple others, then I shot five more Japanese with BAR fire as a few other Marines were struck by bullets. Still, I gunned down two more at a tree and a machine gunner, allowing the Marines in firing more gun shots that cut multiple enemies down, then I gunned down two more as Miller and Sullivan blazed cover. Marines kept firing shots that raked enemy tree positions, and as they shot several other Japanese, I fired and gunned down five more in the way in the fierce skirmish.

Marines kept firing fiercely tense cover shots at enemy tree positions, raking their cover to pieces with bullets as I gunned down another machine gunner, then I fired and shot two more straight ahead in the trees before gunning down another two at the right in some plants. The Marines fired gun shots that nailed several enemy soldiers as Sullivan gunned down a few others and Miller shot several more Japanese with BAR fire, then I fired my BAR and shot five enemies. Still, enemy gunfire blazed back and cut several friendly troops down, but the Marines lining our fallen trees kept firing gun shots that riddled the enemy positions to pieces, and as I fired my BAR and shot six more Japanese as Miller gunned down a few others, the Marines fired more hails of intense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to bloody pieces, bullets ripping off limbs off enemies and spilling flesh into pools of blood. Sullivan gunned down a couple others as the Marine fired covering shots from their tree positions, and Miller shot a few others before he and Sullivan gunned down a machine gunner. I shot five more Japanese with BAR fire as Sullivan gunned down a few others, then Miller fired his BAR and shot several enemy soldiers. A midst the enemy bullets flying around, splintering through the trees, the Marines fired immense gun shots back and shot multiple enemies to pieces, then I gunned down two more by some plants before shooting another two by some trees.

"That's it," Miller said, "Keep firing on these bastards!"

"Move out of the jungle!" Sullivan spoke.

We kept firing on them, shooting down any remaining resistance in the trees, and after much hard fighting, the enemy force here was diminished and our way through the jungle was clear. We moved through the trees, gunning down any several remaining Japanese as we rushed down the path. As I gunned down two enemies, Miller shot a couple others as another enemy soldier rushed up towards him, seizing hold of his rifle. However, after wrestling fiercely for the BAR gun, Miller punched the Japanese soldier hard and gunned him down before continuing on with us as we made our way out of the jungle.

Eventually, we came out of the trees to some more grassland, right where we found another Japanese trench line filled with riflemen and machine gunners, all aiming for us as we charged our way across the grasslands... Behind their trench line, we could see a supply camp, multiple different huts filled with crates and barrels.

"Shit," Miller exclaimed, "Jap defensive line!"

"There's a supply camp behind them," Sullivan stated, "Let's burn these Jap fuckers and raze that camp to shreds, destroy and capture whatever we can find... Everyone attack!"

As we charged forth, the Japanese trench line blazed furious gunfire that cut multiple Marines down, tearing off the arms and legs from a few of them, and vicious fighting commenced. While a few other Marines were gunned down, most other Marines lay down on the ground, including Miller, Sullivan and I, and we crawled over towards the enemy line, firing our guns that raked their trench positions. In the fierce skirmish, Marines fired their guns and shot several enemies while enemy fire blazed all around us, but we kept persisting and crawling ahead, firing more gun shots at the enemy trench. As I lay on the ground, I fired and shot five Japanese with my BAR as Miller gunned down a few others. Sullivan nailed a couple more with Thompson bullets, then Miller shot several others as well, then I aimed for and shot down a machine gunner. Though several more Marines were struck by enemy bullets, Miller and I fired cover shots and the Marines fired immense gunfire and shot multiple enemies to pieces in the vicious fighting. As Sullivan gunned down a couple more enemies, Miller shot a few others with BAR fire before they were both firing cover that gave me time to fire my BAR and gun down more six enemies, then the Marines fired more gun shots that cut numerous more Japanese down, and we kept firing our guns fiercely on the trench.

Miller fired BAR shots that cut several more Japanese down, riddling their defensive cover to pieces with supporting bullets as Sullivan blazed Thompson rounds that struck a few others, but Japanese return fire blazed back and gunned down a few friendly troops. I aimed and shot two more enemies in the trench before shooting down a machine gunner, then I gunned two more down at the right side as the Marines kept firing shots that struck several more Japanese down. Sullivan gunned down a couple other Japanese as Miller shot a few more with supporting BAR fire, then Sullivan aimed for and nailed a gunner all while the Marines fired immense gun shots that cut numerous enemies down. I then fired my BAR and shot five more Japanese to pieces, but return fire from the enemy gunned down several friendlies. Still, we persisted and kept fighting fiercely, firing tense gunfire on the enemy trench as we crawled towards it. Miller shot a few other Japanese as I shot two more, then aimed for and nailed a machine gunner with BAR shots, and then the Marines shot several other Japanese. In the fierce fighting, we crawled closer and closer to the enemy line, and as Sullivan gunned down a machine gunner with his Thompson, I shot five more enemies with BAR fire as Miller gunned down a couple others, then the Marines fired intense gunfire that cut multiple other Japanese down in vicious fighting... Soon, we just neared the trench.

"Rip those Jap bastards to shreds!" a Marine shouted, firing his rifle.

We crawled further and we fired on the enemy trench, clearing it further of resistance, until finally, we reached the trench, shooting down the several enemies still in it while friendly bayonets stabbed a few others. Marines then entered and lined the trench with Miller, Sullivan and I and we aimed our guns at the camp, where numerous enemies were starting to come out to challenge our advance.

"Lay down suppression on this fucking camp," Sullivan said, "Tear 'em up!"

With that, the Marines now lining the trench were firing their guns, cutting numerous enemies down in a hail of immense gunfire. As the Marines kept firing their guns from across the trench line, riddling the enemy encampment with bullets, I fired my BAR and shot five Japanese soldiers as Miller shot several others and Sullivan gunned down a few more. More Japanese emerged from the huts to join the confrontation, but the Marines fired shots that gunned several of the enemy troops down, then I fired BAR shots that nailed six more Japanese. Sullivan then gunned down a couple Japanese with his Thompson as Miller shot a few others with BAR fire, and a midst the vicious fighting, more enemy troops fell to immense gunfire blazing from across our new trench. With Sullivan blazing cover, Miller shot several more Japanese, and the Marines kept firing intense gunfire that cut numerous other Japanese down as I shot five more with BAR shots. Eventually, as the Marines lining the trench kept firing hails of furious gunfire at enemy troops, we cut down more of, them diminishing and repelling their counterattack.

"Move into the camp," Sullivan ordered, "Clear it out!"

While some Marines remained in the trench, other friendly soldiers emerged from the trench and ran over into the camp, some taking position in the grounds of the camp near the huts while others did so in the doors and windows of the huts themselves, and once me and my two comrades entered, more Japanese came in to confront.

"Shit, Jap infantry!" a Marine warned.

"Kill all those bastards!" another Marine shouted.

As more Japanese came into the camp or emerged from huts on the other side, we Marines fired our guns at them from positions on our captured side of the camp, and a vicious skirmish ensued. With the two sides firing furious volleys of bullets at each other, the Marines shot multiple enemies and then I gunned down another two by a hut, though return fire from enemy troops struck a few friendlies. While Miller and Sullivan fired and gunned down several more Japanese, I fired my BAR and shot six more Japanese in the camp, then aimed and gunned down another two by some crates. As the Marines shot several more Japanese, Miller fired his BAR and shot a few others and Sullivan gunned down a couple more enemies. A couple other friendlies were struck by gunshots, but as the vicious fighting went on, I fired my BAR and shot five more Japanese as the Marines fired and cut numerous other Japanese to pieces with gunfire, then I shot another two by some crates. As the ferocity of the skirmish heated up, a few ammunition boxes were struck and they burst apart, spewing their contents everywhere.

Marines kept firing their guns from their positions in the camp and shooting more Japanese soldiers in the vicious fighting, with some Marines firing support from huts as well as from the trench behind us. I gunned down two more by a hut as Miller shot several other Japanese with BAR fire, then I fired my BAR and shot five more Japanese to pieces. The Marines fired immense gunfire that cut multiple Japanese down as Sullivan blazed cover that nailed a few more, though the Japanese blazed fire back that struck several friendlies down. Still, in return, I shot five more Japanese with BAR fire as Sullivan gunned down a couple others, then Miller shot a few more. Marines kept firing fierce gunfire from their positions in the camp, raking enemy troops with bullets, and a couple more ammunition and supply boxes were blasted, creating a fiery display. In the fierce fighting, I gunned down two more enemies by some crates and the Marines fired gunfire that shot numerous enemies, then I aimed and gunned down two more Japanese while Miller and Sullivan shot a few others... Soon enough, the enemies in the camp were diminished.

"Henderson," Sullivan spoke as he came over to me, handing me a couple packs of explosives, "Use these and blow these fucking supply huts to pieces!"

Taking the packs, I ran over to the first supply hut, filled with crates of all sorts of supplies and set an explosive on the crate next to the entrance, then took cover by a palm tree as the explosive blew apart the hut in a fiery explosion, tearing all the wood to pieces.

"All right, keep going, Eddie!" Miller complimented. However, some more Japanese came out to confront us, but the three of us fired a hail of bullets on them, "Japs," Miller warned, "Burn those fuckers!"

Miller and I fired our BAR guns and shot numerous of them as Sullivan gunned down the remaining several, and after the firefight, I ran over and placed an explosive on the second hut before taking cover as it went off and blasted the hut to blazing smithereens.

"Outstanding," Sullivan complimented, "Miller, Henderson, over here."

While Marines mopped up the area, the two of us followed him over to a larger hut and neared the entrance. Sullivan threw in a grenade and he fired a couple bullets inside after the blast. We then entered the hut and looked around, seeming to be empty... But that's when we heard a yell... Sullivan rushed over to a door, where he immediately met a Japanese officer with a katana trying to bring it down on him, but Sullivan blocked the blade with his Thompson and kicked the enemy down before shooting him to finish him off.

"Look around," Sullivan advised, "Try and find something of interest."

As the other two looked around at the different tables and boxes, I went over to a small table to see different photographs, and when I looked over them, I noticed a half burnt one that contained something striking yet again... A Nazi officer, that same youthful looking one I saw in that photo from Tarawa, and when I looked over at a crate next to the photos, Miller and Sullivan came over to me, Miller looking at the photograph.

"That's the same Nazi in that picture from Tarawa," Miller pointed out, "The Japs have a special interest in him?"

"The officer I just killed looked like he could be guarding something." Sullivan said, looking at the crate on the table.

Taking an interest, I pried the lid right off of the crate with some suspense... And I couldn't believe what I was seeing, just as Miller reached his hand in and picked one up to gaze in awe... Golden bars, seven of them.

"...Wow," Miller said, a bit excited, "What are they thinking of?"

"I don't know," Sullivan answered, "Japs must have left in a hurry... That doesn't matter right now, let's get back outside, and mop up whatever's left of any Japanese resistance."

With that, Miller set down the gold bar on the table and the three of us headed out of the hut, aiming to destroy the remainder of Japanese resistance... And once we came out onto the edge of the camp, we found it across a small field... A line of three Japanese pillboxes and two machine gun nests ready to defend.

"Shit," a Marines stated, "Jap machine guns!"

"Marines, strike those damn nests," Sullivan ordered, "Take 'em out!"

Friendly troops rushed across the field, many of them crawling through the grass and taking position in foxholes as immense enemy machine gun fire blazed from the enemy pillboxes and nests and ripped numerous Marines down in hails of fierce gun shots, ripping off the limbs of several of them. Along with the machine guns, numerous Japanese soldiers appeared on the machine gun line to rain rifle shots down on our advance as well, which struck several more friendlies. The Marines kept charging, firing their rifles at enemy positions as other friendlies in the grass or foxholes blazed supporting fire. Multiple other Marines were torn down by machine gun fire, but as I came in, aimed and gunned down two enemies by one of the pillboxes, other Marines fired their guns and shot several Japanese soldiers in return, and the vicious battle kept up.

I kept running across the long grass covered field with Miller and Sullivan, jumping from fox hole to foxhole as Marines all around me were firing gun shots at enemy positions at the machine gun line. Numerous more Marines were shot down by enemy gunfire, with some bloody flesh being torn off, but the Marines fired their guns back and shot multiple Japanese down in return. A midst the flying bullets whizzing all around, I ran to a couple palm trees with Miller as Sullivan entered a nearby foxhole, then I fired my BAR and shot five Japanese soldiers while Miller shot several others with BAR fire and Sullivan blazed cover that pinned down an enemy position. As multiple other Marines were struck by machine gun bullets, Miller and I fired our BAR rifles and shot numerous enemies down in a hail of gunfire as Sullivan nailed a couple others with Thompson rounds, then Marines fired gun shots that cut several Japanese down while still firing shots that raked the machine gun nests.

"Fire on their fucking positions!" a Marine ordered.

"Die in Hell, you Jap bastards!" another Marine shouted.

A midst the vicious fighting, several more Marines were struck by enemy bullets, but Miller fired back and gunned down a few Japanese near the bunker and once I dodged a barrage of machine gun rounds, with Sullivan blazing cover at the machine gun nests, I fired my BAR and shot six more Japanese to pieces. Miller and I kept firing shots that raked the enemy machine gun nests and then we both ran over with Sullivan to a nearby foxhole closer to the machine gun line and held position there, just dodging another volley of machine gun fire.

"Fuck... Miller, Henderson," Sullivan exclaimed, "We can't take out those pillboxes, unless we lose those two machine gun nests guarding them," he then looked over to the right of us and saw a Type 92 machine gun stationed there, "If you two can shoot down those nests, I can make it over to that Jap machine gun and lay down support, then you two can make it to the back of those damn pillboxes... Ready?!"

"I'm ready," Miller said, "I'll give you cover!"

"Open fire!" Sullivan ordered.

The three of us then fired our guns at the two machine gun nests, riddling them with a barrage of gun shots. I aimed at one of the machine guns and shot down the gunner and then I fired at the other nest and nailed the gunner with precise shots. I kept firing until I gunned down the two crew men of the other nest, and as Miller and Sullivan blazed cover, I kept firing at the first nest and shot down the remaining crewman as they got another gunner on it. I shot both the nests to pieces, raking them apart as I gunned down their crew, finishing them off.

Sullivan then ran over to the Type 92 gun as Miller and I kept firing on the nests and pillboxes, and as fast as he could, he reached the gun, mounted it and started firing a hail of machine gun fire on the pillboxes... Miller and I took this time to move down the path on the left side of the enemy line and reach the back of it, seeing a trench behind the pillboxes that connected the three of them along with the two nests.

"Let's raze these fuckers, Henderson!" Miller said as we went into the trench behind the pillboxes.

Once we entered the trench, I shot two Japanese soldiers in our way before coming up to the first pillbox. After kicking in the door, Miller and I fired BAR shots at the enemies inside, gunning the four men down. We then went out to the trench, encountering more enemy troops, so we fired our guns at them, with me shooting four as Miller gunned down a couple others before going up to one of the two nests and shooting the two crewmen of the machine gun nest to pieces. We both then went over to the second pillbox and entered the back of it, firing intense BAR fire that shot the five enemies inside to pieces.

"One pillbox left," Miller said, "Keep it up, Eddie!"

More Japanese soldiers came in to confront us, so we fired our gun at them, with me shooting four as Miller gunned down a few others, then I shot two more that came in. Going up to the second nest, I fired my gun and nailed the enemy crewmen within the nest, finishing it off. With only one pillbox left, we both rushed over to the back of it and kicked down the door, then Miller and I shot the four enemies inside, and finishing off the last pillbox... The Japanese machine gun line was eliminated.

"All right, let's get back with Sullivan." Miller said, sighing some relief.

Miller and I ran out of the trench, where we saw Marines cheering, which gave Miller a bit of a smile. As most of the Marines then went back to the former enemy camp while some others mopped up the area, the two of us walked over towards Sullivan.

"Think we can rest now, Tom?" Miller asked, a bit jokingly.

"Once we clear up and secure the area," Sullivan responded, "Ya' both did good... I'll make sure you get your holidays, boys... You've both earned 'em."

"...What of those gold bars, Tom," Miller asked with suspicion, "And the picture of that German in China... Something is going on here, they could be working on something important, I don't like it."

"I thought you wouldn't, Chris," Sullivan spoke, "...I'll inform Lindner about it once he comes here, he could help look into it, then you won't have to worry."

We then looked over to the left of us, just a couple meters away, where we saw three Marines roughly seizing hold two recently captured Japanese soldiers. As they harshly pinned down the captured enemies, the three Marines were then brutally beating the two Japanese soldiers, with two Marines viciously hitting one pinned Japanese soldier with their fists, brutally punching him over and over while the third Marine was furiously beating the other Japanese with his rifle stock, and after a moment, that Marine threw down his rifle, knelt down on top of his captured enemy and started beating him fiercely with his fists.

The Marines kept viciously hitting the two Japanese soldiers with their fists and rifle stocks over and over, and after laying out their beatings on them, the two Marines grabbed their rifles and aimed at the enemy. Despite the enemy asking for mercy, the two Marines were eager for revenge and were knowing that these Imperial soldiers didn't deserve mercy, and the Marines shot him a few times, with one of the Marines then stabbing him with his bayonet. The third Marine then grabbed his rifle and stabbed his captured Japanese with his bayonet furiously.

"...First, we have to take the rest of the island," Sullivan said as we looked on, "Give these murdering bastards what they deserve, and send 'em to Hell."

We then looked over towards the mountains in the distance, seeing Mount Tapochau, the point that would signal our victory on the island, just as soon as we seized it... Though there were still obstacles to contend with first...


	15. M-7: Ruthless Compassion - Pt 1

_...Our campaign against the Imperial Japanese has been of inflicting bitter mercilessness and savagery... All of it has been necessary... But I have come to see that the Japanese people themselves needed to be saved from them as well. When we came to a village filled with Japanese civilians on the island, we saw that they were good people, and my compassion expanded to care for and defend them as well... Hopefully, we can help bring them back into the light, away from the shadows of the Imperial Military... Yes, we'll save them along with the rest of Asia, then we can continue wiping the evil of the Fascist Japanese Empire from the map..._

 **'Ruthless Compassion'**

 **Saipan Island, Marianas**

 **July 2, 1944**

 **Pvt. Edric Henderson**

 **2nd Marine Division**

As we moved across the island, we Marines came to this village, which we found to be inhabited completely by Japanese civilians... Men, women, children... It was a simple village, a farming type, but had many civilians residing there. We entered the village and checked all around... But immediately, we showed compassion for these civilians, helping them get into their houses for safety with many Marines shielding and comforting them as we secured the area... Luckily, there were no enemy soldiers here.

Though they were worried at first, the civilians immediately came to realize that we were no threat to them, and that we were actually quite welcoming. Once we secured the village, Marines shared much of our food and medical equipment with them, helping them to recover from their weariness, and the civilians were very friendly and welcoming in return.

A couple days had past since we came here, and already, the Marines had closely befriended the Japanese civilians, and I was relieved we had, for we heard rumors that the Japs were encouraging and even forcing them to commit suicide. Still, we were glad we could save these civilians.

I came out of a hut with Miller and we looked around, seeing Marines having very friendly interactions with Japanese civilians. Some Marines were helping them harvest vegetables and repair their houses, others were giving food, water and medicine to some civilians, some eating with them while treating others. Some Marines were even playing with the younger civilians, playing soccer, baseball and a few even handing out chocolate bars and chewing gum. A few of the children were even petting our two German shepherd guard dogs, who responded with licking, all while Marines were happily interacting and playing with the Japanese civilians... Right now, all I saw were smiles, reminding me of life back home.

As we stood on the porch of a hut, we then saw Sullivan walk slowly over towards a young mother in a fatigued Kimono. She was sitting on a porch near a house with her arms wrapped around her daughter, who looked eight or nine... And she was looking very frightened.

Sullivan knelt down in front of them, speaking, "Sore wa daijōbuda, sono koto ni tsuite wa nanidesu ka? (It's okay, what's the matter?)", showing them his ability to speak Japanese. The child didn't answer, still looking very frightened, so Sullivan spoke, "Otetsudai shimashou (I can help you)."

"...Kanojo wa hijō ni obiete imasu (...She is very frightened)." the mother spoke for her instead.

"Anata wa osoreru koto wa nanimonai... Watashi wa yakusoku shimasu (You have nothing to fear... I promise)," Sullivan responded to the girl with a smile and a slight chuckle, then speaking, "Mite... Watashi wa anata no tame no okurimono o motte imasu (Look... I have a gift for you)." Sullivan then took out a Hershey's chocolate Bar from his breast pocket, taking off a piece and eating it, "Sore wa hontōni yoi kotodesu (It's really good)." Sullivan spoke as he took off another piece and handed it to the girl, who slowly ate it... And quickly enjoyed it. Sullivan smiled and gave rest of the candy bar to the girl, placing a soothing hand on the girl's shoulder to further comfort her, which gave the mother with joyous relief that her daughter was becoming happy again.

"...Arigatō gozaimashita, sensei (Thank you very much, sir)." the mother spoke, once seeing her child feeling much better. Sullivan smiled at them both, and as he got up, he saw the girl give him a smile as well, and then Sullivan walked over towards us.

Watching the Marines being friends with these Japanese civilians was indeed refreshing...

...Much better than the bitterness in our encounters with the Imperial Army. Just a week ago, as we strolled past, we found four dead Marines tied to poles, and they had clearly been heinously tortured by Japanese soldiers, with crude cuts, stabs and bruises all over their bodies, and fingers chopped off and even limbs torn off as well... And just to make it worse, they placed live grenades on them, setting a trap for us with an explosion that took two other Marines out. This increased our furious hatred for the Imperial Japanese...

...So seeing that these regular civilians were much different, we were very happy to welcome them...

While Sullivan strolled over, Miller spoke, "You have that magic charm, Tom."

"What can I say," Sullivan replied, "She reminds me of my niece... Last I even saw my wife was with my newborn daughter back in Honolulu, just before I was shipped to the Philippines."

"...I'm worried about these people, Tom," Miller said, "I'm thinking we should get them to a camp, before the Japs come back and make a raid on the village."

"Relax, they'll be okay," Sullivan said, "We got the area secure, and once Lindner says so, they'll be taken somewhere safer."

"I'm just... I'm just concerned, they seem desperately worn out."

"...You really care about them."

"Of course I care, greatly... They're good people," Miller responded with, "...Besides, they need help, and someone should give it to them."

I followed after Miller and Sullivan as we walked over to the next building, a large hut and walked onto the porch as we saw a Marine officer come out from the hut, our commanding officer Captain Henry Lindner. He was a couple inches taller than Miller and he had a slim, yet fit build. He had a thin, yet chiseled face with blond hair shaped in a crew cut and had brown eyes. He wore a typical green Marine uniform with his rank insignia and an M1 helmet, though along with his belt around his waist, he also wore a supply belt like a bandoleer as well.

Lindner was talking with another Marine, though as soon as we walked up to him, he dismissed his other subordinate and turned towards us, slinging his Thompson over his shoulder.

"Sergeant Sullivan," Lindner spoke, "You enjoyin' this tropical paradise?"

"As much as we can, Captain," Sullivan replied, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, come inside," Lindner said, "...Miller, Henderson, you can follow," we walked inside the hut with Lindner and went over to a table, seeing a map of the island and strategic points written on it, which Lindner pointed to as he kept speaking, "Japs have entrenched themselves into the caves of Mount Tapochau, they're making attacks at night... Brass wants us to move along this ridge, assisting parts of the 24th regiment and clear it out from the East... We take the mountain, Saipan is pretty much ours, but I'm still expecting Tojo to make one last attack."

"Like what?" Miller asked.

"Most likely a Banzai charge," Lindner replied, "Tojos don't wanna let go of the island so easily."

"Then we'll persuade 'em." Sullivan replied, "What about the civilians, shouldn't we get them to the camp?"

"We'll move out in a couple hours, escort them there, then continue towards Tapochau."

"Good... Miller's getting worried about 'em."

"Well that's enough of that," Lindner spoke, then became rather casual as we all walked back outside, "I'd like to get to know some of my best men... Where you boys from?"

"I'm from Oahu," Sullivan spoke, "Miller here's from Lihue of Kauai, we'd visit each other often, by boat."

"You both are Hawaii boys," Lindner spoke, "This place must remind you of home," I looked around seeing Marines and civilians interacting, playing, even talking with each other... Sure felt like home, but that thought was interrupted when Lindner asked, "How 'bout Henderson here?"

"Don't know" Sullivan stated, "...He doesn't really speak much."

Before I could speak, suddenly however, an explosion struck just outside the village. I looked over and saw swarms of countless Japanese troops coming over the short hills surrounding the village, firing rifle fire while a few others were setting up machine guns and blazing powerful shots towards our positions.

"Shit, the Japs are raiding the fucking village!" Miller stated, brandishing hold of his BAR rifle, then aiming and firing immense shots at Japanese forces. I wielded my primary weapon, a Thompson gun with a 50 round drum, and fired it at Japanese soldiers with Miller as well.

As intense enemy gunfire rained all over, Marines everywhere were lining fences and huts all around the village to confront the arriving enemy. Once they were in their positions, the Marines were firing immense rifle fire to shoot as many Japanese soldiers down as they could, and a vicious battle ensued. As most Marines were fighting, several others were escorting panicking civilians on a pathway out of the village, getting them to safety. Some Marines were even shielding and protecting several civilians.

Lindner brandished his Thompson gun while Sullivan took out and held his M1897 Trench gun and then spoke orders to some Marines, "Hinsin, Mitchell, Harris, Gibson, Hill, Fisher, Griffith, hit the right side of this village," Sullivan ordered, "Simmons, Riviera, Shielding, McKinley, Smith, Richie, take the left... The rest of you, form positions and lines around the perimeter and defend this village!" Sullivan then turned towards Lindner, "Captain, I suggest you stay with me, Miller and Henderson will provide support!"

"All right, Sergeant," Lindner agreed, "Lead the way!"

As I kept fielding my Thompson with a 50 round drum while Miller wielded his BAR, Miller and I fired intense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese as the Marines at the village perimeter were firing hails of rifle shots that cut numerous enemies to pieces in the vicious fighting, bullets tearing off pieces of bloody flesh and ripping off limbs. As the fierce skirmish went on with Marines firing immense gunfire at enemy positions, Sullivan and Lindner came in, blazing gun shots that struck several enemies down, while Miller and I fired covering fire, then the two of us proceeded to follow them both around the village, fighting Japanese soldiers as we went.

"Henderson, Miller," Sullivan called over, "Get over here!"

"Kill these Jap bastards, Eddie!" Miller shouted, firing his BAR at enemy positions.

"The Japanese are sending different waves at us," Sullivan spoke as Miller and I went over to him, "We need to defend each side of the village and repel every assault they send!"

We came over to the entrance, where Marines were lining the fences and barricades, aiming their guns at the field before us. As Miller and I held a position by a fence, Sullivan and Lindner took theirs near a hut, and we saw a great number of Japanese coming towards us.

"Open fire!" Lindner ordered with fury.

As Miller and I fired covering shots, the Marines lining the fences were all firing immense hails of gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces, powerful bullets shredding off bloody limbs, and a ferocious battle started raging. I fired Thompson shots that nailed five Japanese as Miller shot several other enemies with his BAR, then I gunned down two others. Lindner shot a few other Japanese while the Marines fired rifle shots that nailed multiple others, then Sullivan gunned a couple more down. The fierce fighting went on as Marines kept firing intense gun shots that cut multiple Japanese down, but even so, enemy return fire blazed back and struck several friendlies as well. As a response, I fired more Thompson shots and gunned down six more Japanese while Miller shot a few others, then I shot five more enemy soldiers. Lindner and Sullivan both blazed shots that struck several more Japanese, then the Marines fired more fierce rifle shots that cut numerous enemies to pieces, bullets tearing off gory flesh. As I gunned two more enemy soldiers down, Miller fired and shot several other Japanese, then I fired and struck two more, then the Marines fired more rifle shots that nailed multiple Japanese down, though enemy bullets blazed back and struck several friendlies in return. Sullivan gunned down a few other enemy soldiers with his trench gun, all while Lindner shot several more Japanese, then the Marines shot several other enemies as well. With the vicious fighting raging, I fired and shot five more enemies as Miller gunned a few others down, then the Marines fired more intense rifle fire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces. I then fired Thompson shots that nailed six more Japanese while Miller gunned a few others down, then I aimed and fired, striking two more. Enemy bullets raked a few other friendly soldiers down, but I fired my Thompson and shot five enemies in return while Miller fired covering shots, then the Marines fired more gunfire that nailed multiple enemies down as the vicious battle raged on.

"Fire on their infantry," a Marine shouted, "Kill those Jap bastards!"

"I'll send you fuckers to Hell!" another Marine stated.

We all kept firing rifle shots at enemy forces, with Miller and I shooting several more Japanese as the Marines lining the fences kept firing more immense gunfire that nailed multiple other Japanese to pieces, with Lindner and Sullivan blazing cover. Miller and I kept firing shots that raked enemy positions as Marines kept shooting more Japanese in hails of gunfire... Eventually, after much fierce, hard fighting, our gunfire diminished the enemy force attacking the front entrance to the village, but that's when the Japanese started making attacks at different sides of the village.

"Shit, the Japs are attacking the Eastern side of the village!" Sullivan stated.

"Men, get over there and defend that area!" Lindner ordered.

Following Sullivan and Lindner, Miller and I went over with most of the other Marines as we made our way to the Eastern side of the village. Most of the Marines lined the fence at this side while some others took positions by huts, trees and crates. The Japanese started sending waves of troops our way as we set up our positions here, but as Miller and I stationed ourselves by a couple trees with a few crates and Sullivan and Lindner placed themselves near a hut, all the Marines aimed their guns and prepared to fend off the assault.

"Repel the attack!" Sullivan ordered.

"Keep fighting, Eddie," Miller said, firing his BAR at enemy soldiers, "Kill these Jap bastards!"

I fired Thompson shots that nailed five Japanese while Miller gunned several others down, then I blazed rounds that struck two more. As they lined the fences and positioned themselves in the huts, Marines were firing immense gunshots that nailed multiple enemy soldiers, then I kept firing Thompson shots that cut six more down. The Japanese forces kept coming in, blazing rounds, but the Marines kept firing rifle shots that cut numerous enemies to pieces, while Lindner shot several other Japanese and Sullivan gunned a couple more down. I shot five more Japanese straight ahead before aiming to the right and gunning two more down, though enemy bullets blazed back and struck down a few friendlies. In response, the Marines fired intense rifle shots that gunned multiple Japanese down, bullets shredding off bloody flesh into splattering blood, then I blazed rounds that struck two more enemies. Miller fired shots that nailed a few other Japanese as Lindner shot a couple more, then Miller kept firing BAR fire that gunned several other enemy soldiers down. As the vicious fighting went on, Marines kept firing gunfire that tore numerous Japanese down, with me shooting five other enemies while Sullivan gunned down a couple others.

With Lindner and Miller firing cover shots that raked and pinned some incoming Japanese, the Marines kept on firing gunshots that cut numerous enemies down, and the fierce battle raged on. I shot six more enemy soldiers as Miller fired and nailed several more, then Sullivan gunned down a couple Japanese as well. Still, a midst the skirmish, enemy bullets blazed back and struck a few Marines down, so I fired and shot five Japanese in return, and the Marines fired gunshots that nailed several enemies as I gunned two more down to the right. Miller fired and shot a few other Japanese, then I gunned five more down with Thompson shots as the Marines fired more rifle fire that nailed multiple enemies, bullets tearing them to bloody pieces. As the fierce fighting went on, I shot five more enemy soldiers as Lindner gunned a few more down, then the Marines kept firing immense gunfire from their fence and hut positions that nailed multiple Japanese to pieces a midst the intensity.

"Fire on them," a Marine said, "Hold 'em off!"

"I'll cut you Jap bastards to shreds!" another Marine shouted.

"Die in Hell, you fucking dirty Jap pigs!" a third Marine said, firing his gun.

Hard fighting went on as the Marines kept firing gunshots that cut numerous enemies to pieces, though a couple Marines were gunned down by enemy soldiers as well. A midst the bullets whizzing around in furious heat, Miller and I fired shots that nailed several enemies with Lindner blazing cover and Sullivan gunning a couple others down, and the Marines shot some other Japanese to bloody pieces... Eventually, our gunfire managed to fend them all off and they started disappearing from this field.

"They're runnin' off," a Marine noted, "That's it, Tojo, run!"

"Shit, they're coming in at the South," Miller stated, noticing our next concern, "Get those bastards!"

With break neck speed, we all ran over to the Southern side of town, where we saw more swarms of Japanese soldiers coming at us. I reloaded at a nearby ammunition crate before taking a position by Lindner as all the Marines were now holding positions by huts and crates while most lined the fence to prepare for our defense of this side.

"Hold positions at this perimeter!" Miller ordered, "Rip these fucking Japs to pieces!"

"Here they come," a Marine said, "Kill those bastards!"

The Marines all fired immense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces as vicious fighting kept up, with Miller firing his BAR and gunning multiple enemies down while I shot six others as well. Sullivan and Lindner also gunned down several Japanese, then I shot another five. Miller and I kept firing shots that raked numerous enemies a midst a fiery battle, while the Marines lining the fences kept firing gunshots that gunned multiple Japanese to pieces, bullets shredding off bloody flesh. The Marines kept firing immense cover fire that raked and pinned the incoming enemy soldiers, allowing me to shoot two others to the left and Lindner to gun down a few more, then I shot five Japanese soldiers with furious Thompson fire. As Marines kept firing covering shots that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers, enemy bullets blazed back and struck several friendlies down. In response I gunned down two enemies at the right as Miller shot a few others, then I blazed rounds that struck another two soldiers at the left of me. Sullivan gunned a few others down as Lindner shot a couple more, then the Marines fired shots that raked an incoming wave apart. As Marines were firing hails of fierce covering shots from their hut and fence positions that riddled enemy forces, I kept firing hails of Thompson fire which nailed six Japanese while Miller shot several more enemies with fiery BAR fire, then in vicious fighting, the Marines fired immense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces and I shot five more as Miller and the Marines kept firing cover at enemy soldiers.

"I'll fucking kill all you filthy Japs!" Miller shouted, firing his BAR furiously.

Miller fired hails of BAR fire that nailed multiple enemies as I fired my Thompson and shot six others. Lindner fired cover shots that gunned several enemies down and then the Marines kept firing their rifles and shooting numerous Japanese soldiers, while still firing shots that raked enemy positions. As I gunned two others down at the right, Sullivan blazed rounds that struck a couple enemies, but Japanese bullets blazed and tore down a few Marines as well. In response, Miller shot several other enemies as I fired and nailed five others, then Sullivan gunned down another few that came charging in. Enemy bullets kept raining and flying around us in heated intensity, but we Marines held our ground, with friendly troops firing more immense gunfire that cut multiple Japanese soldiers to pieces, and then firing shots that raked Japanese positions. As I blazed cover fire that pinned a couple enemy positions down, Miller and Lindner fired shots that nailed several more enemies, then I fired and shot five more Japanese. As Marine fired intense cover, I gunned down two more enemies while Sullivan blazed trench gun shots that struck a couple others, then I gunned two more down at the right.

Marines kept on fighting hard and fierce against this Japanese assault, firing more hails on intense gunfire to cut more enemies down. The ground before us was splattered in blood and pieces of gory flesh, but as long as it was the flesh of the enemy, we were doing fine... And eventually, as we kept firing our rifles, the Japanese forces here began diminishing, losing their ultimate momentum here.

"Keep firing on their positions!" a Marine ordered.

"Kill these Jap bastards!" a Marine shouted, firing his gun, "Kill them all!"

As we all kept firing, soon enough, the Japanese forces here had broken were driven off. They started disappearing from this side of the village, but we knew that they weren't finished yet.

"Japanese reinforcements," Sullivan stated, "Attacking from the North!"

"Everyone, over there," Lindner ordered, "Move it!"

Just like before, we Marines all rushed over to the Northern side, and once we reached, Marine took positions by fences, palm trees, huts and crates and aimed their rifles at the land before us, where we saw Japanese infantry massing for an attack. I reloaded by an ammunition crate and then took a position with Sullivan by a hut to join in on the defense of the Northern side.

"Shit, they're trying to break in," a Marine said, "Kill those bastards!"

"Drive these fuckers to Hell!" another Marine demanded.

Marines were all firing immense gunfire that cut multiple Japanese to pieces, our bullets tearing off limbs into pools of blood, with me shooting five enemy soldiers with Thompson shots as Miller fired and gunned a few others down. enemy bullets rained over us, but we held our ground fiercely, with Sullivan and Lindner blazing cover that pinned some enemies down while I fired my Thompson and shot five others. While Marines were firing immense cover that raked and riddled Japanese positions, Lindner shot a few more enemies and Sullivan gunned down a couple others. Still, Japanese bullets blazed and struck a few friendlies down, so in return, I aimed and blazed shots that gunned two down as the Marines fired hails of rifle fire that shot numerous Japanese to pieces, then I kept firing my Thompson and nailing six more enemies as Miller shot several others with BAR fire. Sullivan aimed and nailed a few more Japanese with trench gun fire as Lindner shot several others with his Thompson, then Miller shot a few others. As I gunned two more down, the Marines fired intense gunfire that cut down multiple Japanese in vicious fighting, then I aimed and nailed two others at the right with Thompson shots. Sullivan kept shooting a few other Japanese as I fired more Thompson fire that cut five others, while Marines blazed fire that raked enemy positions.

The vicious battle kept raging as I fired my Thompson and shot six more Japanese, then the Marines all fired immense gunfire that cut numerous enemies to pieces. Miller fired his BAR and shot several others while Lindner gunned down a few more. Enemy bullets flew back and tore several friendlies down, so I fired and shot five other Japanese as Sullivan aimed and blazed rounds that struck a few more, all while the Marines kept firing rifle shots that nailed multiple Japanese soldiers in fierce fighting. As I gunned two more enemies down at the right, Miller fired and shot a few others as well, then I fired and shot five more incoming Japanese straight ahead. Marine gunfire blazed furiously, raking and pinning Japanese positions apart. Japanese rifle shots kept raining, but we held our ground furiously, with Sullivan blazing shots that struck a couple enemies. As Marine kept firing immense rifle shots that gunned more Japanese soldiers to shreds and pinning others to the ground, I fired my Thompson and shot five others, keeping enemy troops from breaking through and holding our ground fiercely.

"Shit, enemy reinforcements coming in!" a Marine warned.

"Keep firing," a Marine stated, firing his gun, "Kill these Jap bastards!"

The Marines kept fighting fiercely and firing immense rifle shots, holding their ground and gunning more and more Japanese soldiers down. As I kept firing my Thompson, soon enough, the fighting paid off, and the enemy forces were driven back... But yet another problem caught our attention.

"Shit, Japs are assaulting the West side!" a Marine said, "Get there and stop them!"

Once again, we all ran over to the side being attacked, this time the Western flank, and once we reached, Marines all positioned themselves in huts and lining the fences while aiming their guns at the grassland before us. I reloaded by an ammunition crate before taking a position with Miller by the fence.

"Cut these Jap bastards to shreds!" a Marine shouted.

In vicious fighting, Miller and I fired gunfire that cut multiple enemies down while the Marines lining the fences fired hails of immense rifle fire that shot numerous Japanese soldiers, then Lindner and Sullivan fired shots that gunned several enemies down. In the fierce battle, Marines kept firing intense gunfire that cut multiple Japanese to pieces, with me shooting five enemies with my Thompson, then Miller shot several others. As I kept firing Thompson fire that nailed six more Japanese, Lindner blazed shots that gunned a few others down, then I shot five others with my Thompson. Still, as Marines from the huts blazed cover that raked enemy positions, pinning some Japanese down, enemy rifle shots fired back and struck several friendlies down. In response, I aimed and shot two Japanese while Sullivan gunned a couple others down, then I fired and nailed five more Japanese straight ahead as Miller shot several others with BAR fire. Furious Marine rifle fire kept shooting multiple Japanese to shreds, bullets tearing off limbs and gory flesh pieces, then Lindner shot a few others with his Thompson as I gunned another two down. As enemy gunshots were flying past us in tense heat, Marines fired gunshots that raked and riddled Japanese positions, with me gunning two soldiers down as Sullivan blazed shots that struck a couple more. As Miller kept firing BAR fire that nailed some enemies, I shot five more with my Thompson, then the Marines fired hails of intense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese down, and the vicious battle raged intensely further.

"I'll send you bastards to Hell!" a Marine shouted.

"Fire on them," another Marine said, "Kill these Jap bastards!"

The Marines lining the fences kept firing immensely fierce gunfire that shot multiple Japanese soldiers, and I fired my Thompson and nailed six more as Miller shot multiple others with intense BAR fire. While Marines kept firing intense cover, Miller shot several others as I gunned two more down, then Lindner shot several more as Sullivan nailed a couple Japanese with his trench gun. A few friendlies were gunned down by enemy bullets, so in response, I fired and shot five Japanese while Miller and Lindner shot several others and Sullivan gunned a few more down. Still, the fighting raged on as enemy gunshots rained all over, but the Marines held their ground, fighting fiercely and firing rifle shots that cut numerous Japanese down, bullets tearing enemy soldiers to bloody, gory bits. As Miller shot several more Japanese, I fired and gunned five others down, then Sullivan blazed rounds that struck a few more as I gunned two other enemy soldiers down. Lindner fired and shot two more as Marines fired their guns and shot multiple Japanese, then I shot five more enemies as Miller fired his BAR and nailed multiple other soldiers while I gunned another two down as Marines kept firing shots that raked and pinned enemy soldiers down.

It had been very hard, fierce fighting, with Miller and I firing and shooting some enemies while Marines fired their guns and shot more and more enemies to shreds while Sullivan, Lindner, and other friendlies blazed cover that razed enemy positions. It was a bloodbath, but as we kept firing our rifles, soon enough, the enemy forces were diminishing... Eventually, we were driving them back and holding this point.

"Burn, you dirty Jap filth!" a Marine shouted furiously.

"Sayonara, pal!" another Marine taunted.

With another volley of gunshots, the Japanese assault disappeared, and we emerged victorious... But our victory was short lived here, as the enemy forces made yet another daring assault, this one even more pressuring.

"Shit, Japanese are making it inside the village!" Miller said, "Get over there and cut them to shreds!"

We all rushed over towards the inside of the village itself, coming to one side where numerous Marines were positioned in and by huts and crates, as well as on the pathway itself leading through the village. They were all aiming their guns at the huts and pathways before them, where we saw enemy troops coming in. Miller and I took a position by a few crates near a hut while Lindner and Sullivan did so in a hut window as well.

"Keep firing!" Lindner ordered, "Drive these bastards out of the village!"

As soon as we saw the approaching forces, the Marines fired immense hails of gunfire from their positions by huts and crates, shooting numerous Japanese soldiers coming on the pathways and huts before us within the village itself. As vicious fighting commenced, the Marines kept firing intense rifle fire that shot multiple other Japanese to pieces, then I fired my Thompson and nailed five other enemies as Miller shot several others with BAR fire. As I kept firing Thompson shots that gunned six more Japanese down, enemy return fire blazed from the huts and pathways before us and struck several friendlies as well, so Sullivan aimed and gunned a couple enemies down. Miller kept firing BAR shots that nailed several more Japanese and the Marines fired more rifle fire that cut multiple other enemy soldiers down as well, then Lindner gunned down a few others while the fierce battle raged. The Marines kept firing intense gunfire at enemy soldiers on the pathways and huts inside the village, with me gunning two more down, though enemy bullets blazed black and struck a few friendlies down as well. While Miller fired intense cover shots that raked enemy positions, I fired and shot five more Japanese, then the Marines fired gunfire that tore numerous enemies to bloody pieces, bullets tearing off limbs, then I shot two others. Sullivan gunned a few more enemies down as Lindner shot several Japanese as well, then Miller fired and nailed a few other enemy soldiers. Fiercely intense Marine rifle fire shot more Japanese soldiers coming inside the village through the pathways and huts before us, with me firing my Thompson and shooting six enemies and Miller gunning several others down with BAR shots. While Marines kept firing their rifles from their positions and shooting enemy soldiers on the other side of within the village, enemy bullets blazed back and struck several Marines in return, though Lindner gunned a couple enemies down as retaliation. As the fierce fighting raged, I fired and shot five more enemies, then Miller gunned a few others down with his BAR as I aimed and shot two more a midst the skirmish.

"Die, you Jap fuckers!" a Marine shouted.

"I'll send you bastards to Hell!" another Marine said.

Marines kept firing intense rifle shots from their positions and shooting numerous Japanese that came into the village as the fierce fighting raged. as the Marines were firing hails of gunfire that tore down Japanese soldiers, I fired my Thompson and shot several enemies, then Sullivan gunned down a couple others. Furious Marine gunfire cut multiple other Japanese to pieces, bullets piercing and tearing off flesh as Miller and Lindner shot several other enemy soldiers, and soon, after much hard fighting, the Marines shot the last of the enemy forces in the village itself, diminishing their assault and keeping our hold on the settlement... For now.

"Great work," Lindner complimented, "The Japanese have been driven from within the village!"

"They're still attacking the front entrance," Sullivan stated, "We should get over there!"

"Everyone, move over to the entrance and fend 'em off!" Lindner ordered.

With that, I followed my fellow Marines back over towards the entrance, where we all took positions and fired our rifles at enemy troops coming in, trying our best to hold them off... As I fired my Thompson, I began wondering just how much we could take of this, for at this rate, it would be clear the Japanese would break into the village once again... So, we would just have to fight even fiercer now.


	16. M-7: Ruthless Compassion - Pt 2

The vicious battle raged in the village as we Marines held on firmly to protect the settlement from the fierce Japanese assault. We had gotten most of the civilians out just right after the fighting began, but there were some that remained in the buildings... That made us fight even harder.

As they kept fighting in the fierce skirmish, the Marines fired immense hails of gunfire from the lines surrounding the village and cutting numerous enemies to pieces, then I shot several others with my Thompson as Miller fired covering shots. With the intense battle raging further Miller and I fired gunfire that shot multiple Japanese, but they kept coming on, and we knew they would eventually breach at this rate. As Miller shot several other enemies, the Marines fired more immense gunshots that nailed multiple Japanese to pieces.

While the fighting went on, with Marines shooting numerous enemy soldiers with fierce rifle fire, Miller and I shot multiple other Japanese... But they kept coming, and eventually, we found ourselves having to defend the interior of the village itself, as the Japanese moved into the settlement.

"The Japs have infiltrated the fucking village," Lindner stated, "Drive 'em out!"

Miller and I with numerous Marines fired our rifles at the numerous Japanese soldiers in the huts and pathways within the village, cutting them down in a hail of intense gunfire as vicious fighting raged. We saw that there were numerous groups of Marines in different positions, firing rifle shots that enemies in and around the village, so Miller and I joined with Lindner and Sullivan to engage with them.

We came to one side of the village, where we saw a line of Marine infantry firing hails of gunfire that cut multiple Japanese to pieces in vicious fighting, though enemy return fire gunned down several friendlies as well. We entered the fight, as I fired my Thompson and shot five Japanese while Miller gunned a few more down. As the fierce battle kept up, the Marines fired more immense rifle fire and shot numerous other Japanese, then Miller fired his BAR and shot several other Japanese while Sullivan gunned down a couple others with his Trench gun.

To the left of us, Marines lined another fence line by a couple houses, firing intense gun shots that nailed multiple other Japanese as the fierce fighting kept up. With the two lines of Marine infantry firing immense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese down in vicious fighting at this side of the village, I fired intense Thompson shots that gunned six more enemies down, then Miller fired BAR shots that cut several more enemies to pieces.

"Get to cover," a Marine said, "Move!"

"Die, you Jap fuckers," a Marine shouted, "Burn in Hell!"

With Sullivan and Lindner blazing cover shots that struck a few other enemies, I shot four more soldiers with my Thompson as Miller gunned down a few others with his BAR. In the fierce battle, Lindner shot a few other enemies while Sullivan gunned a couple others down.

"Henderson, shoot those Japs," Sullivan spoke, "Miller, give us cover fire!"

We then took position by the wall of a hut, where Miller fired BAR fire and shot six Japanese, then I fired my Thompson and shot five other enemies before aiming to the right and shooting four others that came in. While Sullivan gunned down a few more and Lindner shot several others, as we emerged from our cover and held positions by the side of a village, Miller and I fired gunfire that cut multiple enemies down. I fired Thompson shots that nailed five enemies as Miller shot six other Japanese with BAR fire, then I gunned down two others. Several Marines fired shots at the Japanese, striking a few of them, and then Miller and I ran back to our original positions by the walls of the huts with Sullivan and Lindner, with Miller firing cover shots on the way.

Once retaking my position by the hut, I gunned down two incoming enemy soldiers and then aiming to the right to shoot two more while Sullivan nailed a couple others with trench gun shots. While Lindner blazed cover, I fired more Thompson fire that shot six more Japanese. A Marine near us fired shots at Japanese soldiers, but was gunned down, so in return, Miller fired intense BAR fire that shot seven Japanese. Sullivan and Lindner gunned a few more enemies down, and then Miller shot a couple others.

"Shit, Jap infantry," a Marine said, "Keep fighting them!"

"Fire on their fucking positions!" a Marine said.

With vicious fighting raging, Miller fired his BAR and shot six Japanese to pieces as I fired Thompson shots that nailed seven others. While the Marines fired immense rifle fire from their positions in the village that cut numerous enemies to pieces in hails of fiery gunfire, their bullets tearing off bloody limbs and flesh, I shot five other Japanese as Miller gunned several more down, and the fierce battle raged. Sullivan gunned four Japanese down as Lindner shot a few others, though return fire from the enemy struck a couple friendlies down. In response, Miller fired intense covering shots as I fired my Thompson and shot six enemies, then the Marines shot multiple Japanese in a hail of fierce gunfire as the vicious skirmish went on further.

"Shit, fucking shit," Miller said, a midst the fighting, "Fucking thing!"

I fired more Thompson shots and gunned five more enemies down as Miller shot several others, then we both made our way to a hut wall as Lindner fired shots that nailed a few others. I saw several groups of Marines positioned at different points around the village, firing immense rifle fire shot shot multiple enemies to pieces. From my new hut position, I fired my Thompson and shot six more enemies while Miller gunned a few others down. Another Marine was gunned down, I fired and nailed two more, then we moved to another hut position.

"Get moving," Sullivan spoke, "Miller, Henderson, covering fire!"

"I'll kill these fucking Jap bastards!" Miller shouted, firing his BAR.

As I was fighting, I saw that there were multiple different groups of Marines positioned in the village, firing their guns at Japanese troops both in and around the village. I took position by another hut and reloaded my weapon as Sullivan gunned down a couple more enemies. There were several Marines firing their rifles from positions to the right, firing intense gunfire that shot several Japanese down in fierce fighting, though enemy return fire gunned down a couple friendlies as well. Still, the Marines kept firing gunshots that nailed several other Japanese.

Miller fired intense cover fire that cut multiple Japanese to pieces, then from my position near the hut, I fired Thompson fire that shot six enemies in the village. As a couple Marine fired their rifles and gunned a few other Japanese down, I kept firing Thompson shots that nailed five more Japanese as another Marine was gunned down.

"Shit, enemy gunfire!" a Marine shouted.

"Fire on these bastards!" another Marine spoke.

"Move it," a third Marine said, "Defend the village, cut 'em to shreds!"

Taking position by another hut, I fired more intense Thompson shots that cut six more enemies to pieces as Miller fired his BAR and shot several others, then I kept firing more gunfire that shot five others. A couple Marines fired rifle shots that nailed several enemies, though Japanese gunfire returned and struck two Marines down. In return, I aimed and gunned down two Japanese as Lindner shot a few others, then I gunned down two more to the right. With Miller firing cover shots, Sullivan gunned a couple more enemies down as I shot five other Japanese, then the Marines fired more rifle shots from their positions that nailed multiple Japanese down.

Lindner and Sullivan fired cover that nailed and pinned several enemies, and then Miller and I came to a part in the village where we saw Marines firing intense gunfire from positions in the huts, tropical plants and village passages and shooting multiple Japanese who came onto the village passageways, though two friendlies were struck by bullets a midst the chaos. In the vicious skirmish, I fired Thompson shots that gunned five enemies down while Miller shot a few others, then the Marines kept firing more intense rifle fire that cut several other Japanese to pieces.

The vicious fighting kept raging as I took a new hut position and fired Thompson fire that shot six more Japanese to pieces and the Marines kept firing immense gunfire from their positions that cut numerous enemies down. While Sullivan gunned down a couple enemies, Miller fired intense BAR fire and shot multiple others, then I nailed two others with my Thompson. The fierce battle raged on as another Marine was gunned down, so I went over to a new hut position while Miller fired covering shots that nailed several enemies, then I fired more Thompson shots that gunned five more Japanese down and Lindner aimed and shot a couple others. A few Marines from a position shot several other Japanese with rifle fire, though enemy return fire blazed and struck two friendlies down. In return, Miller shot several more Japanese as I gunned down two others, then as Lindner and Sullivan blazed cover, I kept firing gunshots that nailed five more Japanese and the Marines fired gunfire that shot numerous enemies.

"Shit, Jap infantry," a Marine warned, "Enemy gunfire!"

"Keep fighting," another Marine said, "Fire and kill these bastards!"

A midst the fiery bullets flying all over and blazing explosions, Marines kept fighting fiercely against the Japanese in the village. Taking position by another hut, I fired more Thompson shots and gunned down five more Japanese at a couple huts, though another Marine blazing cover was shot. Taking position by some crates, Sullivan blazed his trench gun and gunned four enemies down, then I kept firing intense Thompson fire that shot six other Japanese to pieces as the vicious battle raged on.

"Defend this fucking village," Miller shouted, "Kill these Jap bastards!"

Lindner fired gunshots that nailed several enemies while Miller fired his BAR as he went over to take position by a hut, which was next to a fence with Marines lining it, firing more intense gunfire that cut multiple Japanese down in fierce fighting. While the Marines lining the fence kept firing fierce hails of gunfire that shot numerous Japanese soldiers, Miller fired his BAR and shot five other enemies, then he kept firing more intense BAR fire that cut six more Japanese down. As the Marines fired more gunshots that nailed several other enemies, Miller shot five more enemy soldiers with BAR fire and then the line of Marines shot several others as well in the vicious fighting.

Miller and Lindner shot multiple other Japanese troops as Sullivan gunned down a few others. I fired my Thompson and shot five Japanese while the Marines kept firing gunfire from their positions and shooting numerous enemies in the vicious fighting, then I fired more Thompson shots that gunned six others down. A couple Marines fired rifle shots that nailed a few enemies, but those two friendlies were gunned down by enemy bullets. In return, Miller fired his BAR and shot several Japanese as I gunned two others down, and several other Marines came into a position and shot multiple Japanese with rifle fire. Taking position by another hut, I shot six more Japanese with Thompson fire as Miller fired BAR fire and shot multiple enemies, then as Lindner and Sullivan blazed cover, I gunned two others down to the right before shooting another two enemies straight ahead.

"Come on," a Marine said, "Keep moving, keep moving!"

"Burn in Hell, you Jap bastards!" another Marine shouted, firing his gun.

Miller started coming over, just as a few Marines positioned near us fired their rifles and shot several more enemies, though two of the Marines were shot. Sullivan gunned down a couple more soldiers while Lindner shot a few others as Miller and I ran over towards a hut, both of us firing cover shots as we evaded enemy fire. Coming to a nearby hut, I aimed and gunned down two enemies to the right, then I shot another two Japanese straight ahead as Miller aimed from a hut wall and shot a few other Japanese.

Taking position by a hut, I fired intense Thompson fire and shot six Japanese soldiers as Sullivan gunned down a couple others, then I aimed and gunned down two more in a building. Miller took a position by a hut just near me, where there were some Marines firing intense gunfire from positions that cut multiple Japanese to pieces a midst a vicious battle. As he took his position by the hut right next to the fierce skirmish, Miller fired intensely fierce BAR fire and shot nine Japanese soldiers in the vicious fighting, then the Marines fired more gunfire that shot numerous other enemy soldiers.

"Keep firing," a Marine said, "Kill these fucking Japs!"

Fiery bullets were razing all around the village, with different groups of Marines positioned everywhere firing gunshots that nailed numerous enemies in and around the village. A midst this fierce skirmish, Lindner shot a few enemy soldiers as Sullivan gunned down a couple others, then I shot five more Japanese that came in. Another Marine was gunned down, but as Miller shot a few enemies with his BAR, I fired Thompson shots that nailed six other Japanese. In the vicious fighting, several Marines fired their rifles from a position and shot multiple Japanese, then I gunned two others down as Miller and Lindner shot a few others, then I gunned two more that came in through the village path. With the fierce battle raging further, Miller shot several other Japanese with his BAR as I gunned down five others with Thompson fire, then the Marines fired immense gunshots from their positions lining the village that shot numerous enemies to pieces while the vicious battle raged.

From my hut position near Miller, I fired intense Thompson fire and shot six more enemy soldiers, then Sullivan gunned down a few other enemies as Lindner shot several more. As the Marines kept firing intense gunfire from their positions and shooting multiple enemies down, Miller fired more furious BAR shots that gunned down six more Japanese, then I shot five others with Thompson fire. Fierce fighting kept raging, as Marines positioned all around the village were firing their rifles and shooting numerous Japanese to pieces in a vicious battle. As Sullivan gunned down four others with his trench gun, I fired my Thompson and shot five more Japanese.

The vicious battle kept raging in the village, where Marines were firing gunshots all over, shooting multiple Japanese to pieces, with bullets tearing off limbs and bloody flesh, while enemy gunfire cut several friendlies in return. As Sullivan shot two others, Miller and I fired intense gunfire that shot numerous Japanese. After much hard fighting, we started running over to a side of the village, firing our guns and shooting any enemies in the way.

"Give me some fucking cover," a Marine shouted, "Keep firing on those bastards!"

Miller and I held our position in a hut and fired intense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese in the village, then some others Marines came in and fired more hails of furious rifle shots that cut down numerous enemies in the village huts and pathways, and as this fierce fighting went on here, Miller and I ran over to regroup with Sullivan.

We ran over to a side of the village by a fence, where a line of Marines were firing their rifles and shooting multiple Japanese down. With Miller, Sullivan and Lindner taking position by the fence and firing their guns as well, I positioned myself by the fence and fired my Thompson as well. The line of Marines kept firing hails of immense gunfire that cut down numerous Japanese in a fierce battle, while I fired Thompson shots that nailed seven enemies as well and Miller shot six others with BAR fire as Sullivan and Lindner gunned down several more enemy soldiers. As the Marines kept firing gunshots that nailed several more Japanese, I shot six other enemy soldiers as Miller and Sullivan blazed intense cover... Soon, after much hard fighting, we all began moving again.

As we moved another Marine was struck by bullets, but I fired covering shots with my Thompson, shooting two more Japanese to the right, then still blazing covering shots that riddled four others incoming. We moved back to some huts, where as Miller fired cover that gunned a few enemies down, I took position by a hut wall and fired Thompson shots that nailed five more Japanese, then we kept moving.

"Shit, they're in the village!" a Marine warned.

"Get to cover in that building," another Marine said, "Defend it!"

Taking position by a hut wall, I fired Thompson shots and gunned down five more Japanese as Marines held new positions by a couple of huts, firing their rifles at incoming Japanese. In the fierce skirmish, the Marines fired intense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese to pieces, though enemy bullets soared back and struck two friendlies as well. In response, Miller fired BAR shots and gunned several Japanese down. After reloading, I ran over towards the Marines by the huts, and as they kept firing rifle fire that cut numerous enemies down, I took position by the porch of one hut and gunned down two incoming Japanese, though a Marine was struck by bullets. As vicious fighting kept on raging, Miller fired cover shots that gunned down a few more enemies as the Marines shot several others with immense gunfire, then I fired my Thompson and shot five more Japanese.

While the Marines kept fighting, firing intense gunshots from their positions, Miller and I ran over with Lindner towards a larger hut, where we saw Marines gathering some remaining civilians there to safety.

"Miller, Henderson," Sullivan called out to us, "Get the fuck over here, we need to protect these people!"

Coming up to a hut as we made our way over to them, I gunned down two Japanese soldiers as Miller rushed and knocked down another incoming enemy before shooting him while he was down. Moving over towards another hut, Miller and I fired intense gunfire at incoming enemies, with me shooting five more Japanese as Miller gunned a few others down as we took position by another hut. I then fired cover that nailed two more enemies as Miller then rushed a Japanese soldier, clashing his BAR against the soldier's rifle and swiping it out of his hands, but the enemy seized hold of Miller's gun. Still, after much fierce hard wrestling, Miller punched the Japanese soldier hard twice and after a struggle, he smacked him back with the stock of his BAR before shooting him down.

The two of us ran over to the large hut with Sullivan, Lindner and several other Marines. Once we entered, I saw Marines aiming their guns out of windows, while I also looked to see a group of civilians huddled together on the floor towards the back of the building, with a few Marines guarding them along with two of our German Shepherd guard dogs... We looked for a way to get them out as we waited for the Japanese to attack.

"Shit, Jap ambush!" a Marine warned.

Sullivan and Lindner stood by a window as I took position by the entrance, with Miller aiming and firing his BAR out a window next to me as the Japanese started coming. I kept firing intense Thompson fire at incoming Japanese soldiers, shooting seven enemies as Miller shot a few others. As a Japanese soldier came to the entrance, a Marine quickly smacked him down with his rifle stock, then Sullivan and Lindner gunned down a couple others. Another Marine was shot, but with Miller firing cover, I shot two more enemies as the Marines fired shots from the windows and gunned several more enemies down a midst the skirmish.

A Japanese soldier came in, but before he could aim his Arisaka rifle, I rushed over and grabbed hold of his rifle with both hands. I wrestled very fiercely for the rifle, but we both had a firm hold on it, so as we struggled, I punched the enemy, but he kept holding the rifle. We kept fighting in very fierce, hard wrestling for the rifle, with him trying to bring his rifle's bayonet to my throat, and with all my strength, I tried pushing it back. As our furious struggle for the rifle went on, other Marines were still repelling Japanese soldiers with bullets and bayonets, with a fire raging near me due to an explosion. As I kept wrestling hard against the soldier for the rifle, pushing his bayonet away from me, I punched him again with my right fist, and after much fierce wrestling, I grabbed his own knife from his belt and stabbed him in the chest before I threw him into the raging fire just next to me, where he burned to death.

Picking up my Thompson, I returned to the window to fire my gun, shooting five more Japanese, trying to keep them from harming the civilians. "We need to get these people out of here!" Lindner noted.

Another explosion tore a hole open in the wall on the back right, which gave Sullivan his answer as he spoke to some of the Marines, "Take 'em out through that hole, we'll cover your escape... Send 'em down the Eastern path, there shouldn't be any Japs over there... Then they can regroup with the others!"

As the Marines moved the group of civilians through the hole, I fired covering shots for them with my Thompson, shooting two more enemies as Miller gunned down a few others, then I shot one more to the right. As Sullivan nailed a couple enemies with trench gun shots, I shot two other Japanese as I continued watching the Marines leave with the civilians.

"Fend 'em off," a Marine demanded, "Kill these bastards!"

"Defend the building!" another Marine stated.

Still, several Japanese managed to infiltrate the building, so our Marines engaged them. One Marine blocked the bayonet of an enemy soldier with his rifle before stabbing the enemy with his own bayonet, and then he smacked a second Japanese soldier down with his rifle stock before stabbing him with his bayonet as well. A Marine just outside the building shot another Japanese down and he then stabbed another enemy that came close to him with his bayonet. Another Japanese came in and stabbed a friendly soldier in the stomach with a bayonet, but a Marine went up and repeatedly stabbed the Japanese soldier down in return.

Along with this, we released our two guard dogs from their leashes to attack the enemy soldiers. Both dogs pounced on and viciously mauled two Japanese soldiers to death with their sharp teeth. One of the dogs then tackled another soldier, sinking his teeth into the soldier's arm, but the enemy quickly drew his Nambu pistol and shot the dog in the head... Only for the other dog to pounce and maul that Japanese soldier to death by the throat, avenging his fellow canine. I rushed to and slashed a Japanese soldier with my knife as two more enemies came in, though Sullivan quickly gunned them down as I shot another soldier with my Thompson before slicing down another charging enemy with my knife as well.

Miller rushed and tackled an incoming enemy before beating the Japanese soldier furiously with his fists. I went near the entrance, lit a Molotov Cocktail and threw it towards enemy troops, shattering and splashing flames that incinerated a few Japanese, and as Miller finished punching his enemy, he finished him off with his knife.

"Civilians are secure," Lindner stated, "Let's get out of this fucking hut!"

After some more fighting, Miller, Sullivan and I followed Lindner and the rest of the Marines out of the large hut, where we came to another set of smaller houses that could serve as a way to finish off enemy presence inside the village. Taking position by the set of huts, we aimed and fired our rifles at the incoming enemy troops, with Marines shooting multiple enemies down. While Miller and Lindner fired covering shots, Sullivan gunned down a couple enemies, then I fired my Thompson and shot five more... After some fierce fighting, the enemy soldiers within the village had been eliminated, and a short quiet seemed to follow.

"Come on," Sullivan spoke, "Over to the East!"

We all followed Sullivan and Lindner as we came to the outskirts of the Eastern side of the village, where a long fence awaited. The Marines all line the fence and held position their, readying their weapons as we looked at the grasslands before us. I looked over the grass, but then I saw to the left that there were several civilians by a hut, eight of them, who must have split off from the rest of the group, and they were looking terrified.

They wanted to get out of the battlefield quickly... And suddenly, in their panic, they started running down the field, away from the direction of the rest, to wherever that could be safe.

"Hold on, stop," Lindner shouted, worried what could become of them, "Get back here!"

...But it was of no avail, for their fate was already decided. Distant Japanese machine gunfire blazed and coldly gunned them down with such merciless ruthlessness... And as the enemy bullets callously riddled the several civilians in a pool of blood, Miller immediately voiced his outrage.

"You fucking animals!" Miller shouted, raising his BAR, "You fucking sadistic bastards!"

Sullivan went up to him first, however and gradually lowered his rifle, calming down Miller a bit, who was clearly still showing seething fury in his face... He was hellbent on killing the Japs now. Both Miller and Sullivan took their position by the fence near Lindner, and did so next to them as well.

"...Anata ga kakoma rete iru, amerikahito (You're surrounded, Americans)!" a Japanese officer suddenly spoke to us from the distance, "Akirame, to watashitachi wa anata ni jihi o shimesu koto ga dekimasu (Give up, and we may show you mercy)!"

But we were having none of it... No, and after seeing how they just murdered the Japanese civilians, and showing that he was just as angry, Sullivan shouted back to the enemy, "Tada damatte watashitachiha korosu tame ni no tame ni anata no buta no ōku o sōshin (Just shut up and send me more of you pigs for us to kill)!"

"You filthy Jap pigs," a Marine shouted, "Killing your own fucking civilians, come here and die!"

A short quiet followed, but we immediately heard the resounding war cry of the Imperial Japanese... "Tenno Heika Banzai!" we all heard sound off several times in the distance, and then suddenly, we found a great many Japanese soldiers, hundreds of them, charging forth with their bayonets gleaming from the sun and shining like sharp silver... A great swarm of Banzai chargers were coming in a massive charge, right at us.

...But as I looked around, there was no fear... Instead, deep intense rage was the feeling these Marines had, and hatred for their savage enemy. The Marines had become close to these Japanese civilians, and seeing how the Imperial Army shot them, their own people, these Marines were furiously driven on killing this enemy.

"Wait 'til they get close," Sullivan stated, "As soon as they get in range, send those murdering bastards to their graves! Make 'em all suffer!"

As the Marines aimed their guns with furious anger, we watched as the Banzai chargers got even closer. As Miller and I aimed our guns at them from the right side while Sullivan and Lindner aimed from the left, we all aimed with stubborn determination as they came closer, hearing their yells.

"Open fire," Lindner ordered, "Slay those bastards!"

"Come here and fucking die," Miller shouted, firing his BAR wildly at the Japanese Banzai chargers, "You fucking sadistic animals, I'll send you all to Hell!"

Immediately, the Marines were all firing immense hails of gunfire that cut numerous Banzai chargers down, with me shooting five of them with my Thompson as Miller and Lindner fired gunshots that nailed several others and Sullivan gunned down a couple more, and the Marines kept firing intense rifle shots that shot multiple other Japanese, their powerful bullets ripping off flesh and tearing off limbs into splattering blood. As I kept firing Thompson shots and gunning six more enemies down, Miller shot several others and Lindner gunned down a few, then I shot five more as Miller nailed a few others with BAR shots and Sullivan shot a couple others. The Marines kept firing their rifles and shooting numerous enemies down as they surged across the field towards our fence on the rim of the village, but even as the Japanese lost many men to gunfire, several still managed to reach our line... But we fought back with our anger. As a Marine fiercely stabbed a charger with his bayonet, I slashed down another enemy with my knife, though another charger managed to stab a friendly soldier in the stomach. Still, as I gunned down two more chargers and Miller shot a few others, the Marines kept repelling those who reached, with one Marine smacking a Japanese down with his rifle stock and then stabbing him with his bayonet, and then another friendly rammed down another charger before beating him with his rifle stock. As another Marine was stabbed in the side by a charger's bayonet, I sliced another enemy down with my knife before aiming and gunning two others down.

While a few Marines were fending off chargers who got close with their bayonets, the rest of the Marines kept firing more gunfire that shot multiple enemies to pieces, bullets tearing off more pieces of bloody flesh. I fired my Thompson and shot five more Japanese as Miller shot several others, then Lindner gunned a few others down. I gunned down two other chargers and then slashing down another with my knife, then Sullivan shot a few more enemies as the Marines fired more gunshots that riddled multiple Japanese as well, then I nailed two others with Thompson shots. Another Banzai charger came in and stabbed a Marine in the stomach, but another Marine furiously grabbed that charger and pinned him down while a third Marine came and and beat that enemy with his rifle stock. I fired more Thompson shots that gunned five others down as Miller shot several others with his BAR, then as a Marine stabbed another enemy with his bayonet, I kept firing my Thompson and shooting six more Japanese. The Marines kept firing gun shots that nailed multiple enemy soldiers, with Sullivan and Lindner shooting several down. Suddenly another charger came in and thrust his bayonet at me, but I dodged the blade and grabbed his rifle, and after a struggle, I knocked him back with the stock and stabbed him with the bayonet, just before picking up my gun and shooting two more enemies. As a Marine was stabbed in the back my a charger, another Marine, in turn, shot him down before stabbing another enemy with his bayonet.

"Die, you evil Jap bastards," a Marine shouted, "You're all goin' to Hell!"

"I'll fucking kill all of you Japs!" another Marine stated.

The Marine kept firing more gunshots that shot numerous other charging Japanese to pieces, and the war cries of the enemy soldiers quickly turned into screams of pain... A good sign that we were keeping momentum. As Sullivan gunned a couple enemies down, Miller fired his BAR and shot several other Japanese, then Lindner fired and nailed a few other enemy soldiers. I fired my Thompson and shot six enemy soldiers as two Marines stabbed down a couple Japanese chargers, though another Marine was stabbed by a third charger's bayonet. As the fighting went on, a Marine with a flamethrower came in, spraying immense flames that incinerated several enemies, then Miller gunned down a few others as another Marine was stabbed in the side by a Banzai charger, though another Marine came in and stabbed that enemy soldier with his bayonet in return. Sullivan and Lindner gunned a couple more enemies down while I fired intense covering shots, but then a charger came right at me, thrusting his bayonet. Even so, I dodged the attack and grabbed his rifle, wrestling it out of his hands and knocking him back with the stock, then piercing him with the bayonet before picking my Thompson back up. As the Marines kept shooting multiple enemies in a hail of fire, I shot five more Japanese as Miller gunned a few others down with BAR fire.

"Light 'em up," Sullivan ordered, "Cook those bastards!"

The flamethrower kept emitting sprays of fire that engulfed several more Japanese in flames and burned them to death, and we Marines kept firing gun shots that kept striking more enemies down while also repelling others with bayonets, with me firing cover fire... Soon enough, after much fighting, the enemy force was diminished, and once the smoke cleared, the enemy attack was over and done with... We had won.

"We're clear," Lindner spoke, "Mop up the area."

"...Hold up," Sullivan noted, "We have movement in the field."

Indeed, as we aimed our guns in alert, we saw some Japanese soldiers appear before us... But in such a different manner... These many Japanese soldiers before us were surrendering, throwing down their weapons and raising their hands in the air. We stood up and looked at the surrendering Japanese, counting twenty six of them with their hands raised... We emerged from the fence and onto the field, supposedly to round them up.

"Round 'em up," Lindner ordered, "Take 'em back to camp with us."

"Fuck that," a Marine protested, "I say we slaughter these pieces of shit!"

"That's enough, Private." Lindner spoke.

I stood next to Miller in front of the twenty six surrendering Japanese soldiers that stood with their hands raised while we approached them, a Japanese captain with a clean shaven face came out, approaching the front of the group with his hands in the air as well... And Sullivan immediately got mad as he went up to the officer.

"Hey, are you in charge of this bunch," Sullivan asked spitefully of the enemy officer, "You order 'em to shoot those people, your own fucking civilians, huh!" The Japanese captain didn't answer, so Sullivan angrily grabbed the enemy officer by his lapels, shaking him furiously before, throwing him to the ground.

"Sergeant!" Lindner spoke to control the Marine, but Sullivan ignored him, as he picked the Japanese captain up by his lapels again before taking out his trench gun and striking the enemy officer down hard with his gun's stock.

As the officer lay on the ground, Sullivan stood over him and spoke furiously in Japanese to the man, "Anata wa sorera no juchū o ataemashita ka?! (Did you give their orders)?!"

The officer replied with a nod, and Sullivan just got even madder. He beat the officer a few times with his rifle stock, just before he slung his trench gun across his back, and drew his M1911 pistol, cocked it and aimed it at the officer... And despite Lindner's protests, Sullivan ground his teeth as he blazed round after round into the captured officer, shooting him with furious vengeance until his clip ran out, and even then he kept pulling the trigger a few times, which only resulted in clicks.

Lindner decided not to fight it, as he too ultimately saw it justified... Lindner ordered to the others, "Get them to camp," however, he then saw Japanese soldier with a wounded arm nearby with his other hand raised in surrender as well, and he spoke, "Get a corpsman on that one there."

The corpsman went over to check on the wounded Japanese soldier... Which proved to be a mistake, as suddenly, the wounded enemy primed a grenade, the explosion blowing himself up and the head off of the corpsmen.

"What the fuck," an outraged Marine shouted, "You son of a bitch!"

The Marines were outright furious now, coupled with this treacherous perfidy and the cruel murder of the civilians by the enemy, the Marines all angrily aimed their guns at the other twenty six surrendering Japanese soldiers, with me, Miller and Sullivan aiming as well.

"You bastards," a Marine stated, "I'm gonna kill you!"

"Wait, hold on!" Lindner spoke.

But it was too late, the Marines all fired their guns, blazing hails of gunshots that viciously cut the surrendering Japanese to pieces, with me shooting several of them and Miller and Sullivan gunning down another several others. The Marines kept firing more gunfire that shot the Japanese prisoners in a mercilessly brutal massacre, bullets spilling their blood everywhere, and we kept firing gun shots until the surrendering enemies were all dead.

"They were surrendering," Lindner protested, "That's out of line!"

"No, it's what they deserve," Miller responded angrily, "They murder people, torture our men!"

"We're not supposed to be doing things like this," Lindner spoke, "Our job is to-"

"Our job is to kill Japs!" Miller shouted furiously as he interrupted, "And we're supposed to be saving people from them! They've murdered tens of millions in their territories, innocent civilians, destroyed their cities... We should be saving those people, the Chinese, Koreans, even the Japanese from the Japs... The Imperial Japs are evil, they're murderers, so we should kill them with as much harshness as we can, it's what they deserve... And that's how we save those people from them, so we should be proud of it!"

I expected Lindner to say something, but he just sighed, and he ordered us to pack up our things, then we all started moving out of the village to get back to camp. On the way, we found the large group of Japanese civilians on the pathway to our camp... And our feelings immediately changed from anger back into sympathy, as the Marines were showing deep compassion for these civilians, helping them over to our camps, where they would get good meals and safe sleep from the fighting.

As the Marines were helping and escorting the Japanese civilians down the path, I saw Miller helping an injured old man get down the road while Sullivan was giving a child a ride on his shoulders... I was seeing through their harsh sentiment they were bent on saving people... They were driven by their compassion.


	17. A Greater Threat

_Dear Lilya,_

 _You and the girls are doing well, yes? Even as I am focused on protecting my friends, my comrades and achieving our vengeance, my thoughts are with you always... But you know how I worry. I will admit that we have suffered great losses here, but I know we will prevail. I just hope I can return to you as soon as possible, as soon as we achieve our victory, for I can just sense that we will make a strike that will finally rid the Fuhrer's hordes from our country... Take care, my lovely wife, I will be home eventually..._

 _Love,_

 _Your husband, Viktor_

* * *

 _Our campaign against the Germans is bitter, our hardships and losses great... But I can finally see the end of it, the end of the shadows of the evil Reich in Mother Russia. I know that soon we will fight again, make an effective strike and finally crush their offensive in our country... And then take the fight to their land... If we win this next offensive here at Kursk, victory in this war will then be in our hands._

 **Shortly after escaping from Kharkov...**

I, Viktor Reznov, rode in the front seat of the Opel Blitz truck just next to my driver, Vylkalev, right as we sped down the road. I was very relieved he was all right, not just because he was my comrade, but also surely Dimitri and I would have died if he had not come for us.

While we were driving down the road, he gave me a talk on this, however...

"I shouldn't have _had_ to save you, Reznov," Vylkalev spoke in a rather disappointed tone as he was driving the truck, "You should be perfectly capable of rescuing yourself."

"I know what had happened," I responded, "I was in perfect control of the situation."

"Were you?" Vylkalev continued, "Well, aside from your great strength, it seems you're just an ordinary man, but you need to be much more than that for this conflict."

"I know," I said, a bit irritated, "...I'll be better next time."

"You had better," Vylkalev said, "You're men look to you as a hero... You may be an ordinary man, but you must keep that image of a hero for them, especially for what I have for you in the future."

As we drove down the road, I saw the Soviet camp before us, and with just a couple more minutes, we had arrived. Dimitri and I stepped out and followed Vylkalev as we made our way through the camp over to the tent of the commanders, while the Russians with us disembarked and engaged in the camp activity. Dimitri, Vylkalev and I entered the tent... Right where we found Yuri Kamarov.

Kamarov turned towards us and became excited to see us, coming over towards Vylkalev and shaking his hand, "Mikhail, Viktor, you're all alive," Kamarov spoke joyfully, "That is wonderful."

"It's good to see you too, Yuri," Vylkalev spoke, then turned to me, "Come, we have much to talk about."

Dimitri and I followed Vylkalev and Kamarov over to a table, which had maps detailing an area and the positions of forces, "Command is having our forces move here," Kamarov spoke as he pointed to the map, "Our forces will be stationed along the Voronezh front here and prepare for the defense of this oblast of Kursk, we expect the Germans to make a massive assault there."

"What will we be expecting?" Vylkalev asked.

"I'm not sure so far," Kamarov replied, "We're reporting a couple armies being mustered for an attack, along with some newer weapons, and tanks, being fielded... We will stop them, I'm sure of it."

"Of course," Vylkalev said, "But there's something I would like to inform you both on... Viktor, Yuri, come."

We both walked out of the tent with Vylkalev and came over towards another tent, a more secretive one and entered, which made me a bit suspicious. Vylkalev walked over to a box, taking out a folder and then we walked over to a table, where Vylkalev set the folder filled with papers... When he set some photographs on the table, I looked over them with particular interest... These photos showed German soldiers in China, those same type of soldiers I saw in the train station. In some photos, Germans were shown next to and working with Japanese soldiers in China while others showed German and Japanese officers.

"Vylkalev, what is this about?" Kamarov asked.

"...Reznov here found men back at Kharkov that I recognized," Vylkalev spoke, opening the folder, then he turned to me as we both were at the table, "Reznov, the Germans you faced in the train station were a more difficult, stronger enemy, yes?"

"That's correct," I said, remembering their deadliness, "We just barely took the station."

"And they were wearing this symbol?" Vylkalev asked further, placing on the table a photograph of the symbol, a Japanese style dragon with a circle below, containing a swastika.

"...Yes, that's it." I said.

"...You see, Viktor... Those Germans are part of a very powerful military corps called the Asien Korps, a German force based over in China and India... These Germans work extensively with the Japanese over in China, even fighting in battles at their side, helping as much as they can."

"I've never heard of them."

"This corps was created and deployed in early 1938 so Hitler could keep a link open with his ally, Japan... They're made up of entire Wehrmacht and SS divisions... Hitler desires to keep them a great secret, so everything about them is mysterious... Very mysterious."

"I had a very difficult encounter with them... But I know they're just men."

"These Germans are all, very strong, vicious, highly skilled fighters. They've reportedly engaged in numerous battles and skirmishes with help from the Japanese across China and India, mostly against Chinese Communist forces and British troops... As both attackers and defenders, they've won every encounter, and they've severely crushed their enemies in battle... These Germans control many different areas over in Eastern China, including numerous villages, but I've heard they are actually very kind to the Chinese villagers... They seem to be a rather volatile force."

"Really... Why are they this strong?"

"The Korps' leader, General Wilhelm Eibenwitz," Vylkalev said, placing a photo on the table showing an old looking German SS officer with a beard and mustache, "He makes sure they fight with great bravery and brutal skill... Whether this is his own doing or Hitler's is unclear... But he is also heavily influenced by another officer..."

Vylkalev took out another photograph and placed it on the table, which gained my attention, for it showed that same youthful looking officer I met in the cabin, "That's him," I said, "That's the man I saw in the cabin. Who is he?"

"...His name is Karl von Hershing," Vylkalev replied, "A Colonel in the SS and the German Asien Korps' lead enforcer... He's a very intelligent manipulator, and an extremely brutal commander and a sadist," Vylkalev said, showing a few pictures of this Hershing figure standing before his German soldiers, with some showing Hershing and his troops viciously executing mass numbers of prisoners and civilians, presenting a smile that relished in the slaughter, "These Germans mostly fight in China and India, but under his leadership, they also fight greatly in North Africa, the Middle East and even here in Russia, mostly to conduct operations... Of what, we're not sure."

"...You said Eibenwitz is being influenced by Hershing, what do you mean?"

"Hershing and Eibenwitz are loyal Nazis, but I believe they are using the Korps for their own designs... Hershing especially, is having ideas of his own... He's an ambitious one, a maverick, he wants power for himself."

"...This Hershing is up to something?"

"I know he is conducting an operation here, involving direct German and Japanese cooperation... He and his Korps are a key part of their operation, and I've had a task of finding out, that I intend to complete."

"So why are you telling me all this?"

"Because you've had encounters with them, you know of them, and you know of Hershing... And seeing your record, so I find your help will be useful... I've heard reports that they are heading in the vicinity of Kursk to operate there. Since you and your men will be there as well, you can help me uncover his operation."

"...Good, I will take joy in his death."

Vylkalev then placed a hand on my shoulder out of caution, speaking, "...Be very careful, Viktor... You know this already, but the soldiers of his Korps are very strong enemies, and Hershing is very dangerous, a ferocious killer... He wants power, and he will destroy anyone who gets in his way... Don't give him a chance to do so to you."

"...I will be fine, Mikhail," I responded with reassurance, placing a hand on his hand still placed on my shoulder, "Dimitri and I will prevail and we will help you as much as we can... I will see you on the field at Kursk, so take care."

With that, I walked outside of the tent and moved through the camp, where I saw Dimitri by a truck. I went over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder from behind, where he turned to me. Looking at me with curiosity, Dimitri asked, "What was that all about?"

"...We have a new job, my friend," I spoke to him, "It involves the officer from that cabin... But we'll worry about that later... Right now, we will keep our attention on defending Kursk."


	18. M-8: Steel Tigers - Pt 1

_...Later on..._

 _The fight for Mother Russia is at hand, and her fate could be decided right here. The Germans are using one last chance to regain their offensive, but we will hold them... Every single one of them will fall as they make their fierce assault. We will defend our gains here, and those who come for our blood shall drown in their own... Our line of tanks, so powerful now, will then come and crush the rest of them under their treads.  
_

 **'Steel Tigers'**

 **Kursk, U.S.S.R.**

 **July 10, 1943**

 **Sgt. Viktor Reznov**

 **270th Rifle Division**

I rode on the back of a T-34 tank with several other Russian soldiers as it rolled down the road drawn across the field, trudging its way to the trenches within this oblast of Kursk. We are expecting a massive German assault to occur there... Operation Citadel was the name for their offensive, their one last chance to reclaim the initiative in the war since their disastrous loss of Stalingrad... So we were on our way to keep them from doing so...

Looking all around, I saw a great number of T-34 tanks, trucks and half track driving down the pathway with us, and all these vehicles were filled with countless Russian troops, ready to fight in the trenches with me... And to the right of me, there was another tank just a couple meters away, a tank that had Dimitri riding on it.

"Viktor," Dimitri spoke from the tank, waving to me, "We'll be there shortly, I'll see you in the trenches!"

Responding by waving back to him, I looked back at the field before me. We all sped down the pathway until we came upon our objective, the trenches. It was here that German mortars started to rain down before us, shells smashing into the ground and sending pieces of dirt and debris into the air. A few shells even took out a couple trucks and a tank, but even so, that didn't deter us as we kept driving until we had reached the trench.

"Everyone, dismount," I shouted out to all the others as I stood on the tank, "Into the trenches!"

With that, all the Russians left their vehicles and followed me and Dimitri as we made our way into the trench system. Russian soldiers filled and lined the trench stretching across the field, all aiming their guns at the field before them, with a couple machine gun positions behind us stationed to give cover. Once we entered the trench Dimitri and I came upon a sight of relief, for Yuri Kamarov was there directing troops while Chernov, armed with an SVT rifle, stood next to him. Dimitri and I walked over near the Commissar.

"Sergeant Reznov," Kamarov greeted, "You've arrived just in time, yes."

"Am I missing something?" I asked.

"The Germans have just started their attack. They'll be coming over the field... Hurry and get in position, so we can send those svoloches to their graves!"

Doing so, I went over next to Dimitri in the trench, and we both aimed our PPSH guns down the field as all the other Russians aimed their rifles as well. The shelling went on for a little bit more, until it started to cease and a small quiet followed with some smoke... And evidently, waves of German troops started coming towards us, armed with Gewehr rifles and MP 40 guns, and many even wielding the newer STG 44 rifles.

"They're they are," a Russian soldier said, "Here they come!"

"Open fire, Comrades!" Kamarov ordered.

With that, as the Germans came closer to the trench, the Russians all fired immense hails of gunfire from the trenches and cutting numerous enemies down, bullets tearing off bloody flesh and severing limbs from enemy soldiers. Dimitri and I fired PPSH shots as well, shooting multiple Germans as the vicious battle ensued, with Kamarov blazing cover. With the lines of Russian infantry firing intense gunshots at enemy forces, machine gun emplacements behind our trench blazed furious cover, their powerful bullets tearing off limbs and spilling pools of blood from enemies while still pinning and raking German positions with suppression. As Russian soldiers in the trench kept firing shots that nailed multiple Germans, I aimed and gunned down two enemies at the left as Dimitri shot a few others, then I fired PPSH shots that shot five more Germans. Kamarov fired and shot several other Germans as Chernov gunned a few enemies down, then the Russians fired their rifles and shot numerous Germans. As I gunned two more enemies down, however, the charging Germans all fired their guns and shot up our trench positions, shooting multiple friendlies in return, so I fired more PPSH shots and nailed six more enemies. As Kamarov and Chernov blazed cover at enemy positions, Dimitri shot several more Germans as I gunned two others down, though return German gun shots struck several more Russians and the furious battle went on.

The vicious fighting kept raging ever fiercely, with the lines of Russians all firing immense rifle fire and shooting multiple Germans to pieces, all while I fired PPSH gun and shot numerous other enemies as well. Dimitri shot several enemy soldiers with his PPSH as Chernov gunned a few others down with his SVT rifle, then I fired and shot five more enemies. The machine guns kept blazing cover as Russian soldiers fired more gunshots that cut numerous other Germans to pieces, then as Kamarov fired and gunned a few more enemies down, the line of Russians kept firing more rifle fire that nailed multiple others Germans. As I gunned two enemies down, Dimitri shot a few others, then I kept firing PPSH shots that cut down six more Germans as well. However, while Chernov and Kamarov gunned a few more enemies down, the charging Germans fired their rifles and shot multiple Russian troops, while still blazing fire that raked our trenches, pinning some friendly troops. In return, I aimed and gunned two more enemies down as Russian troops fired their rifles, nailing multiple enemy soldiers with volleys of fiery bullets. As enemy gunfire blazed back and struck several more friendly soldiers, I fired my PPSH and shot five more Germans as Dimitri gunned a few others down, then the Russians fired shots that cut down a great many more German soldiers. As the fierce fighting went on, German soldiers fired rifle shots that gunned numerous Russians down in the trench, so I fired my PPSH and shot multiple enemy soldiers while Dimitri blazed furious cover fire.

I kept firing shots that raked German positions and pinned enemy soldiers, with Dimitri and Kamarov shooting several more enemies as Chernov gunned down a few distant snipers. As Russian soldiers kept firing their guns and shooting more Germans down, I saw that just more and more enemies kept coming in, blazing bullets that whizzed by with heated fury or ripped and pierced past the top wooden edges of the trench. I gunned two enemies down at the right as Kamarov shot a few others, then I fired and nailed five more Germans. Dimitri shot several more Germans, then I gunned down two more at the left as Chernov blazed rounds that struck a couple more enemies. Fierce fighting continued as Russian soldiers kept firing shots that nailed multiple German troops, then I shot five more Germans as Dimitri gunned a few others down. I kept firing my PPSH and shot six more incoming enemies, though German soldiers fired their guns back and shot numerous Russians in the vicious battle, so I aimed and gunned down two more Germans that closed in. With machine guns blazing immense cover and ripping enemies to bloody shreds, I fired PPSH shots that cut five more enemies down, then Dimitri shot several more enemies while the Russians fired their guns and cut numerous other Germans down.

"Chyort, kill these Kraut bastards!" a Russian soldier said, firing his gun.

"Burn in Hell, svoloche!" another Russian said to the enemy.

"Shit... Die, you animal!" a third Russian stated.

I kept firing PPSH shots that cut more enemies down while the Russians blazed immense gunfire that raked and pinned German positions, with Dimitri firing cover shots at enemy troops. Waves of Germans kept on coming for us, blazing shots that raked our trench line, while the defending Russians kept on shooting more enemies down, some of the Germans getting very close. I felt the heat of the battle surrounding me like sharp hot wind, but that did not deter me as I fired my PPSH and shot six more Germans, then Dimitri gunned several others down. The Maxim and DP 28 guns behind us blazed furious rounds that pinned enemy soldiers down while Soviet Riflemen in the trenches all fired their rifles and shot numerous incoming enemies. While Kamarov shot a few more Germans, I fired and nailed five other enemies, though German gunfire blazed back and struck several friendlies in return.

The German soldiers just got even closer now, blazing shots that pinned down some of our infantry, so we all kept fighting even harder to drive them off. With the Russians shooting several more Germans to shreds, I aimed and gunned two others down to the right as Chernov fired and shot a few others, but enemy soldiers kept coming even more dangerously close. We all stepped up our defense, with me firing and shooting five more Germans as Dimitri shot several others with his PPSH, though German gunfire shot multiple friendlies in return. However, we all just kept firing our guns in the vicious fighting, with shooting two more as Chernov gunned a couple others down. The Russians all fired their guns and shot numerous more Germans, stubbornly refusing to break... Soon enough, our defense paid off, as I kept firing PPSH shots and saw that the German force was beginning to fall back.

"Fend them off, Comrades," a Russian said, "Drive them back!"

"Burn these bastards!" another Russian said.

The Russians all kept firing their guns and shooting more Germans down, and though some Germans stayed to fire gunshots back and provide cover, the German force started retreating. I fired my PPSH and shot six of the Germans still firing at us while Dimitri blazed furious cover. Soon enough, the Germans had retreated from attacking the trench, and the Russians ceased their fire to let out a resounding cheer.

"That's it," Dimitri cheered, "Run you Kraut svoloches!"

"That was close." Chernov stated with a sigh of relief in his voice.

"Reznov," Kamarov spoke as he came over to me, "We have a secondary defensive line over to the East, and the Germans are making another assault there... We need to move!"

With that, I followed Kamarov with Dimitri, Chernov and some other fellow Russians while the rest stayed to watch over the trench. While most others went down some grass with Kamarov and Chernov, I went with Dimitri as we went down a small dirt pathway... Where we encountered some Germans coming from the left side. The German soldiers fired on us from the slightly elevated left side of path, but after evading some bullets, I fired back and shot four enemies as Dimitri gunned down a few others, then I shot another three. We quickly gunned down the last few soldiers and continued onward, regrouping with Kamarov and his men.

We all came upon a small field with several different trees... And as we entered the path, we found Russian soldiers in positions before us, firing their guns at German positions before them to the left of us. To the left were positions filled with enemy soldiers, including German machine guns, blazing hails of fire that ripped through the trees and cut several friendly soldiers down, ripping off the limbs of a couple. As the vicious skirmish went on between the Russian and German soldiers firing hails of gunshots at each other on this pathway, the rest of our forces took cover either behind trees or crouched in the grass, with Dimitri and I taking position by a tree.

"Shit, Kraut machine guns!" Dimitri stated.

Their were several different German machine gun positions stationed in this path, with countless German soldiers positioned next to the nests by trees and grass, all firing their rifles and shooting numerous Russians down. Vicious fighting erupted with me firing PPSH shots at enemy positions and soldiers while Russian soldiers at my sides were firing gunshots that nailed several enemies and raked the machine gun positions. However, German gunfire blazed back, shooting multiple friendlies and raking their positions, pinning our troops as I kept fighting.

"Chyort, those damned machine guns our blocking our path," Kamarov stated, "Reznov, we need to eliminate those nests... See if you can find a way to flank them!"

I kept firing PPSH shots from my tree at the German positions, raking and pinning some of them while evading the powerful bullets of their MG 42 guns. German gunfire kept firing back and shooting numerous Russians but as Dimitri and I fired cover shots, the Russian soldiers fired their guns back and shot multiple enemies in return, and the fierce battle raged on, with us all fighting hard to eliminate the nests.

"Take out those machine guns!" a Russian shouted.

German soldiers kept firing gunshots from their positions and shooting multiple friendly soldiers down, and vicious fighting ensued as the enemy machine guns blazed furious rounds that raked and pinned Russian positions. I fired my PPSH and shot four enemy soldiers before dodging a couple bullets, then taking aim and shooting two more at the left. The Germans kept firing their rifles and shooting numerous other Russians, but Dimitri and I kept firing shots that gunned several enemies down, with me shooting up an enemy position, taking it out, then Russian soldiers fired gunshots that nailed multiple enemies in return. Vicious fighting raged on as I shot two more enemies, then shot up an enemy position as Dimitri gunned a few other enemies down. German machine guns kept blazing and ripping several friendlies to bloody shreds. As Dimitri fired cover, I gunned two more enemies down to the right and then shooting another one by a tree. The Germans fired hails of gunshots back and tore numerous friendlies down, so I shot two more by a tree, then the Russians fired their guns and shot multiple other Germans.

"Shit, destroy those nests!" a Russian soldier said.

"Burn those svoloches!" another Russian demanded frantically.

We all kept firing immense gunshots at the German positions, with me shooting five more soldiers and then firing more shots that raked a couple positions to shreds, then Dimitri fired shots that nailed several other Germans as well. Intense German gunfire kept firing at our positions furiously, shooting numerous Russians, though friendly troops fired their guns back and shooting several Germans in return, and the vicious fighting went on with great heat. Kamarov gunned a few others down while Chernov shot a couple soldiers by the trees as the Russians all fired immense cover shots at German positions. While Dimitri and I fired our PPSH guns and shot multiple enemies, with me shooting apart another position, the Germans kept firing gunshots that raked our positions, but Russian soldiers braved and evaded the enemy fire to keep firing hails of gunshots that raked and nailed multiple enemies. I then fired PPSH shots that riddled and destroyed a couple more positions as the Germans fired their rifles and shot numerous other friendlies, then I kept firing PPSH fire that shot six more enemies.

With Dimitri and Kamarov firing intense cover, I kept firing my PPSH at German positions, riddling and pinning them with intense hails of fire as Chernov aimed and gunned down a few soldiers by some trees. As I gunned two more down to the left, Dimitri shot several more enemy soldiers, then I fired and shot four other Germans by some trees. The Russians blazed intense rifle fire that shot several more enemies, then I shot up and eliminated another infantry position, though German gunfire blazed back and shot multiple friendly soldiers in return. Furious hails of gunfire blazed all over the place as Russian and German soldiers shot at each others' positions, riddling them to pieces. Still, the fighting went on ever fiercely, with me shooting four more by some positions and trees, then Kamarov gunned a few others down in the grass as Chernov shot a couple more as well. I kept firing PPSH shots that raked and destroyed a couple more positions, then Dimitri shot a few others in the grass. I shot two more in the grass as Russian soldiers fired shots that raked enemy positions and shot multiple enemies, then I gunned another down by a tree before shooting two more in the grass.

"Die, you animal!" a Russian said in the fury.

"Burn in Hell!" another Russian shouted.

The Germans fired intense gunfire that raked friendly positions, shooting numerous Russians as well... However, in the vicious fighting, Dimitri and I fired PPSH shots that cut numerous enemies down and then we kept firing on enemy positions, furiously riddling them to pieces. I fired and shot four more by some trees and then gunned two more down in the grass while Dimitri fired and nailed a few others. As Kamarov gunned a couple more down, I gunned two others down as Chernov shot a few more Germans, then I shot four others in the grass. The Germans fired more intense rifle shots from their positions and nailed multiple friendly soldiers, so I aimed and shot up another position while Dimitri gunned several more enemies down. While Russian soldiers fired their guns and shot multiple enemies, I gunned down two more at the right and then shooting another soldier by a tree. Still, the Germans kept firing immense gunfire from their positions and shooting numerous Russians down, raking our positions with intense fire. In response, I gunned down two more enemies and then I shot up and destroyed another position, just while Dimitri aimed and gunned a few others down.

The German and Russian soldiers kept firing at each others' positions, raking them to pieces with fiery bullets and shooting down many different soldiers. A midst the intensity, I shot five more Germans while Kamarov fired his gun and nailed several others as well. German soldiers fired their rifles from their positions and shot multiple Russians while the enemy machine guns blazed fire and bloodily tore several more friendlies to shreds. After I gunned two more down by a tree, I shot up and destroyed another infantry position, then I fired PPSH shots that nailed six other Germans as Dimitri fired and gunned a few others down. Russian soldiers fired their guns and shot numerous enemies, shooting up several positions as well. As the fierce skirmish went on, I shot five more enemies with PPSH fire and then I kept firing shots that riddled and destroyed a couple more positions. As Chernov gunned a few others down, the Germans fired rifle shots back that nailed numerous Russians, so I gunned down two more Germans and then shot up another position, taking it out. As they braved enemy fire, the Russians all kept firing gunshots and shooting multiple enemies while I gunned two more down in the grass.

"We're being torn to shreds!" Chernov worried.

"Come on, Viktor," Dimitri said, "We need to find a way to flank them!"

I fired more intense cover shots at enemy positions, raking and pinning some troops down and then I followed Dimitri over to some trees, just barely dodging bullets that chased after us. I then fired cover at the machine guns to allow Dimitri over to my position and then we made our way to a tree to the left of the enemy nests.

As the Russian and German soldiers kept firing shots from their nests at each other, I found myself at a closer position, just in their view to the left. As I reloaded my PPSH, Dimitri and I aimed and fired hails of gunfire at the enemy positions, shooting up the nests.

"Die, you svoloche!" Dimitri shouted.

With Dimitri blazing furious cover shots, I gunned four soldiers down and then shot up a nest, and then shooting up a couple more positions. Some machine guns returned fire, forcing me back into cover, but once they turned their attention back to the others, I fired and gunned two more soldiers down before shooting up another infantry position. Dimitri fired shots that gunned a few enemies down, then I shot up another machine gun nest. I fired and shot four more enemies before shooting a couple more infantry positions to pieces, and after dodging some return fire, I aimed and shot up another machine gun nest, silencing it.

The machine guns blazed furious rounds back at me, so I stayed in cover as their bullets ripped through the trees. Luckily, Russian soldiers fired intense gunshots at the remaining positions, regaining their attention, so I emerged and fired more gunshots at the nests. As I shot two more enemies and gunned apart another position, I then fired on and destroyed another nest... Leaving just one more. Dimitri fired and shot a couple more Germans, though enemy fire blazed back, which I dodged and then aimed and shot two more Germans. After dodging some bullets, I fired and shot a couple more infantry positions to shreds before taking aim at the last nest, blazing rounds that struck and tore it apart.

Soon, after shooting up one more positions and gunning several more soldiers down, the enemy positions were cleared away, allowing the rest of our forces to continue on towards the second trench line.

"Great work, Sergeant Reznov," Kamarov complimented as we made our way back to him, "Everyone, let's keep moving towards the second defensive line!"

Rejoining him, I ran with Kamarov with Dimitri, Chernov and the rest of the Russian forces following after us as we made our way down the path... Soon enough, we came upon the second trench line, which was sustaining a mortar barrage while the friendly troops already there prepared for a German assault.

"There's the second trench," Kamarov stated, "Get over there and prepare to repel any German attacks!"

With that, our Russian forces joined with the friendly troops already in the trench, all the Russian infantry lining the defensive line and aiming their guns down the field before us. Chernov and Kamarov took a position to the left as I took my post at the right side of the trench, with Dimitri joining me and we all aimed our guns down the field... Soon, the barrage lifted quickly as we arrived, and once the smoke cleared, with sharp yelling, German forces started coming towards our trench in a massive attack, just like before.

"Chyort, Kraut infantry incoming," Dimitri said, firing his gun, "Silence those bastards!"

Dimitri and I fired PPSH shots that shot numerous enemies while the rest of the Russians lining the second trench fired hails of immense gunfire that cut numerous Germans to pieces, some bullets ripping off pieces of bloody flesh and limbs. A vicious battle ensued as the line of Russians kept firing intense gunshots that tore multiple enemies down, with me firing PPSH shots that cut numerous other Germans down as Dimitri shot several others. However, a midst the fierce fighting, as Russian soldiers kept blazing gunfire that raked and pinned enemy positions and troops, the charging Germans fired their guns and shot several friendlies in return. I fired and shot five more enemies before gunning two down by a couple trees to the left, then Kamarov shot a few more charging Germans. German gunfire kept blazing and raking our trench positions, so I fired and shot six more enemies, then the Russian soldiers blazed fiery barrages of gunshots that tore numerous enemies down. Dimitri shot a few other Germans as Chernov gunned a couple others down as well, though the Germans fired their rifles and shot multiple Russians as well. As Dimitri and I fired furious cover shots, I gunned down to more at the right as the Russians fired rifle shots that cut multiple enemies down, then I shot two more by a tree. Kamarov then shot a couple more enemies charging in with bayonets while I fired PPSH shots that gunned five more Germans down in the grass.

The vicious fighting went on with intense heat, bullets flying around everywhere, ripping through the trees and the grass, piercing the flesh of soldiers and spilling their blood into pools that stained the grass like red wine. A midst this furious chaos, I gunned down two more Germans, then Dimitri and Kamarov fired and shot several other enemy soldiers, then I fired PPSH shots that nailed six more enemies. The Russians fired their rifles and gunned numerous other enemies down, then Chernov aimed and gunned a few others down while I shot five more. The Germans fired more gunshots that raked and gunned down multiple friendly soldiers, but as I gunned two enemies down to the left, the Russians fired more rifle shots that raked and pinned the German troops. As the Germans fired more intense rifle shots at our positions, I fired my PPSH and shot five enemies, then Dimitri fired his gun and shot several others while Chernov gunned down a couple others. German soldiers fired more rifle shots that cut numerous Russians down, so I gunned two others down to the right while Kamarov shot several more enemies with his PPSH, then I aimed and shot two more by some trees. Ferocious fighting raged with Dimitri shooting several more soldiers while the line Russians fired their rifles and shot multiple enemies, then I fired PPSH shots that nailed six more Germans as the Russians fired immense gunfire that cut numerous more Germans down.

"Fight, Comrades," I shouted, "Drive these bastards to Hell!"

Enemy forces kept rushing in, with Russian and German soldiers fighting fiercely over our trench. Russian soldiers kept firing hails of gunfire that tore numerous enemies to pieces, bullets tearing off bloody flesh and ripping off limbs. As we braved incoming enemy gunshots, I fired intense PPSH fire and shot multiple enemies as Dimitri gunned several others down with his PPSH, then the Russians all fired their guns and shot multiple Germans. However, a midst the fierce fighting, German soldiers fired gunshots back and nailed several friendly soldiers in return, so I gunned five more enemies down. German gunshots kept raking our trench, so the Russians fired rifle fire that riddled and pinned the German waves as I fired PPSH shots that nailed six more enemies, and while Kamarov gunned a few others down, I kept firing and shot five more Germans that came in. Dimitri fired and shot several more enemies while I gunned two more down in the grass, though the Germans fired their rifles and shot multiple Russians in our trench as they charged in, so I aimed and shot two more by a couple trees. Chernov shot a few more as Kamarov gunned a couple others down, then Dimitri fired and nailed a few more Germans as well. The vicious fighting kept up as German soldiers rushing in and firing on our positions, but as I shot five more Germans, the Russians fired gunshots that cut multiple other enemies down, then I shot two others in the grass.

We Russians all kept firing our guns at the incoming German forces, with Dimitri and I shooting multiple enemies with our PPSH guns as Kamarov and Chernov fired intense cover shots that raked enemy positions. German soldiers fired their guns and shot multiple friendly soldiers, and they started getting dangerously close, so we stepped up our desperate defense and fought even harder. I gunned two more enemies down by some trees as Dimitri shot a few others, then I kept firing and nailing five more Germans coming in. Russian and German soldiers kept firing at each other, bullets raking each others' positions, and as I aimed and gunned two more enemies down, the Russians all fired gunshots that cut numerous Germans to shreds. Still, the German soldiers kept coming with tense fury, yet we Russians kept very bravely withstanding their gunfire and kept fighting with great stubborn determination. As Dimitri and I fired intense cover that raked enemy positions as Kamarov shot a few other soldiers, though the Germans fired their guns back and shot several friendlies as well. I fired my PPSH and shot six more Germans as Dimitri gunned several others down, then the Russians all fired immense gunfire that shot multiple enemies, then I aimed and shot two others by some trees. After Dimitri gunned a few more down, I started to see the Germans attack beginning to stall, so I kept firing PPSH shots that shot numerous enemies as Chernov shot a couple others.

"That's it," I shouted, "Silence these bastards, Comrades!"

After much hard, vicious fighting, soon, we started seeing the German numbers dwindle severely, their attack lessening. We all braved more enemy fire and kept shooting German soldiers down, and as I fired my PPSH, the Germans started to fall back. Eventually, we eliminated the last of the attackers and the rest of the German force retreated back beyond the field... We had held our trench defenses from the enemy.

"They're falling back," Chernov said, "We did it!"

"Everyone, emerge from the trench," Kamarov ordered, "Move to the field and assault the Germans there!"

Following my lead, the Russian troops all emerged from the trenches and we made our way onto the fields. Dimitri, Chernov and Kamarov ran by my side as Russian soldiers all around us moved forwards on the grasslands, with more friendly infantry coming in with support from a few tanks.

Once we came onto the field itself, we found hordes of German forces before us, infested in all different parts of the field with machine gun nests, entrenched infantry positions, trench lines filled with riflemen and even tank posts... Still, we charged ahead onto the large grassy field to confront them with furious enthusiasm.

"Raze the svoloches from the field!" I shouted.

Immediately as our great forces emerged onto the field, the Germans all fired their guns from their positions, firing hails of furious gunfire that cut numerous Russians to bloody pieces. Still, Russian soldiers kept charging onto the field, firing their rifles as well and shooting some enemies, and vicious fighting erupted, with me firing my PPSH and shooting multiple Germans, my gunshots raking and eliminating a few positions. German soldiers kept firing their guns from entrenched positions, foxholes or from the grass, shooting multiple friendly soldiers down as they kept charging in, but fellow Russians braved the fierce rifle fire and machine gun bullets and fired their guns back, gunning numerous German soldiers down in response and the fierce battle raged ever further in this large, grassy field. I fired my PPSH and shot five Germans before shooting up and destroying an entrenched position as Dimitri fired and nailed several more enemies, German soldiers kept firing their guns and shooting numerous more Russian soldiers to gory shreds, their bullets tearing off their limbs and bloody flesh pieces in chunks. Still, as the Germans kept firing immense gunshots that raked friendly positions and pinned some of our soldiers down, I fired immense cover shots, shooting up and eliminating a couple more enemy positions. German machine gun fire tore apart several more friendly soldiers, but as Dimitri and I fired immense cover shots with our PPSH guns, the Russians fired gunshots that nailed multiple enemy soldiers as well as riddling several more entrenched positions to pieces, destroying them, then I kept firing PPSH shots that gunned six more enemies down while Dimitri shot a few others.

The Russian and German soldiers kept firing immense gunfire at each other in a vicious battle for these grasslands, shooting up each others' positions with bullets piercing flesh and spilling blood that stained the green grass. A midst the intensity and horrific chaos, Russian soldiers kept bravely charging in past the enemy gunfire and firing their rifles to riddle and pin enemy soldiers in the entrenched positions and grasses. As I gunned two more enemies down by a tree, Russian soldiers shot up a couple more enemy positions and a machine gun nest, then I fired and shot four others in the grasses before gunning down two more Germans by another tree. While Kamarov gunned several more enemies down, I fired and shot up an entrenched position and then fired on a machine gun nest. As I dodged the powerful return fire, I aimed and shot the nest gunners, eliminating the position as Chernov gunned a few others down as well. With Dimitri and Kamarov firing intense cover shots, I fired and shot four more Germans in the grasses while Dimitri shot several other enemies, then I kept firing shots that riddled and destroyed a couple more entrenched infantry positions. German gunfire blazed furiously and cut multiple friendlies down, so I kept firing and shot four more enemies in the grasses and then gunned two more down in a position. As Chernov aimed and shot a couple others by a tree, I fired and shot up another entrenched position before gunning two more down in the grass, then Russian soldiers fired rifle shots back that tore down numerous Germans.

German soldiers all kept firing their guns from entrenched positions, foxholes and machine gun nests at charging Russians, hails of intense enemy gunfire cutting numerous friendlies to pieces. Still, with Dimitri and I firing PPSH shots that gunned multiple soldiers down, fellow Russian soldiers held positions and fired their guns back, shooting more enemies and raking their positions while still charging Russians fired shots as well. I shot six more enemies in the grass and then shot up and destroyed a position as Dimitri and Kamarov fired shots that nailed several Germans. After gunning two more enemies down by a tree, I then shot up and eliminated another position as Dimitri fired shots that cut a few more down, then I shot five more Germans with a hail of PPSH fire. The Germans all kept firing rifle fire and machine gun shots that cut multiple Russians down, so as Kamarov shot a few more enemies in retaliation, Chernov gunned a couple others down by a tree. I shot two others by a tree and then as Dimitri shot several Germans at the right, I shot two more in a foxhole. German gunfire blazed at me, but I ran over and dodged each shot, using some nearby sandbags for cover as Russian soldiers fired gunshots back that nailed multiple enemies. With Dimitri blazing cover, I fired and shot five more enemies in entrenched positions before dodging another machine gun volley, then taking aim and shooting down the gunner, then I shot two others in a foxhole.

Vicious fighting raged on with intense ferocity on this field. While braving enemy gunfire soaring and raining towards us, Dimitri and I fired PPSH fire that shot numerous Germans on the grass and in different positions while Kamarov shot several others and Chernov gunned a few more down. Russian and German soldiers kept firing on each other, riddling positions with gunfire and tearing flesh apart with piercing bullets. As I shot up and destroyed a machine gun nest, Russian soldiers fired rifle shots that cut numerous Germans down, then I gunned two others down as well. Dimitri shot a few more Germans while Chernov gunned down a couple others, but the Germans fired back and nailed multiple friendly soldiers with immense gunfire. I fired PPSH shots that cut six enemies to pieces while Kamarov gunned down a few more Germans, then I shot up and eliminated an entrenched position. With Kamarov and Chernov blazing fierce cover, I shot two more by a tree as Dimitri shot several others in the grass, then I gunned another two down in a foxhole. Fierce fighting kept up as Russian soldiers fired gunshots that gunned numerous enemies down as well as riddling and destroying a couple more German positions. A midst this, I shot five more Germans as Dimitri fired and gunned a few more down, then I shot two others by a tree.

As fierce German gunfire rained all over us, we Russians all kept fighting viciously, gunning down soldiers while shooting up and destroying enemy positions and nests. Still, the German rifle and machine gun shots ripped numerous Russians to bloody pieces, their potent bullets tearing off limbs and spilling blood onto the grass. As I gunned four Germans down in an entrenched position, Dimitri shot up a machine gun nest and a few soldiers, then I shot up and eliminated another nest before gunning two others down by a bush. While I shot another four enemies in a different position, I kept firing PPSH fire that raked and destroyed a couple more positions, then I gunned two more Germans down in a foxhole as a German machine gun blazed rounds at me. I dodged those shots and used cover from sandbags to fire on and shoot down two more enemies by a bush, then after dodging another volley, I aimed and shot apart the machine gun nest. Dimitri fired immense cover that nailed a few Germans, then I gunned apart another machine gun nest while avoiding fire from German riflemen in an entrenched position. A midst the intensity, Russian soldiers fired and shot numerous Germans, and then kept firing rifle shots that raked and destroyed several positions, then I shot four more enemy soldiers. Dimitri fired cover that gunned a couple enemies down, so I shot up and destroyed a few more entrenched positions, then gunned down two other Germans in a foxhole. Dimitri and I kept firing shots that raked enemy positions and gunned down soldiers.

While I kept firing PPSH shots that gunned numerous enemies down and raked German trenches and nests, Russian soldiers fired their rifles and shot multiple German soldiers. Dimitri shot a few more German soldiers as I shot up and destroyed a machine gun nest, then Chernov and Kamarov gunned down several more soldiers. German gunfire blazed back, however, shooting numerous Russians down and forcing me into cover, but as it volley went away, I fired back and shot four more soldiers in a trench and then gunning two others down by a bush. With Dimitri blazing cover shots, I shot up and destroyed a few more entrenched positions and then fired on a machine gun nest, eliminating it. Dimitri shot several other Germans with PPSH fire, and while Kamarov and Chernov blazed fiery cover, I shot four more enemies in the grass, and after dodging another volley of bullets, I aimed and shot down another machine gunner. Russian soldiers kept firing shots that fiercely raked German positions, destroying several nests and cutting numerous Germans to pieces. I then gunned two more down in a foxhole as Dimitri shot a few others in the grass, then I aimed and fired at two other Germans by a bush. While dodging some more bullets, I fired and shot four more enemies in a different trench, then shot up a couple more positions.

"Shit, Kraut infantry," a Russian soldier stated, "Kill these bastards!"

"Destroy their nests," another Russian said, "Send the svoloches to Hell!"

Fighting kept raging in the field as Dimitri and I fired on and shot numerous enemies. While Russian and German soldiers were firing immense gunshots at each other in a vicious battle, the bullets cutting more soldiers down and tearing off limbs and pieces of flesh, friendly machine gun and rifle fire shot up and slashed at enemy soldiers, cutting more positions apart. With the Russians gunning multiple enemies down, I fired and shot five more German soldiers as Dimitri gunned a few others down, then I shot up and eliminated another entrenched position. While braving enemy gunfire and with fellow Russians blazing furious cover, I kept firing PPSH fire that nailed six more enemies, though German gunfire blazed furiously and cut numerous friendly soldiers down. In response, Dimitri fired and gunned several other Germans down, then I shot up and destroyed a couple more positions. Kamarov gunned a few enemies down as Chernov shot a couple other soldiers, though German soldiers fired more hails of gunfire and cut multiple Russians to pieces in the fierce fighting. Responding after dodging some bullets, I shot five more Germans with PPSH fire while Dimitri gunned a few others down as well.

German gunfire kept raining all over us, but we were undeterred as we kept shooting at enemy positions, destroying more of them one by one... Soon, we started seeing the field beginning to clear up of German presence, so we kept up the pressure to drive them out. As I shot up and took out another small trench, I gunned two others down in the grass, then I shot up and destroyed a couple more entrenched positions. Russian soldiers fired immense rifle shots that cut numerous enemies down, and while Dimitri covered me with his PPSH, I fired PPSH shots as well and gunned six more enemies down, then I shot down a machine gunner. As they noticed their defenses becoming decisively fewer, the Germans started offering fiercer, desperate resistance, firing volleys of shots. I used cover of foxholes to dodge the incoming fire and then blazed fiery cover shots back, allowing the Russians to fire immense gunfire and shoot multiple enemies down. Dimitri then shot several other Germans as I gunned two others down in a foxhole and then shot up and eliminated a few more infantry positions... Soon enough, the German defenses left in the field had only just a few remaining.

"Eliminate all these German positions, Comrades," I shouted, "Kill every last one of them!"

The fighting was extremely ferocious across this large open grass field, but we all kept firing immense hails of gunfire that shot up and destroyed more enemy defensive positions and cut numerous Germans down. While the enemy soldiers kept shooting some of our soldiers in desperation, it was of no use to them, as I shot and eliminated a couple more infantry positions and a machine gun nest while fellow Russians fired on and destroyed the rest... Eventually, the field was clear of enemy forces and we could move on.

"The Germans have been wiped out," Dimitri stated with excited relief, "The field is ours, Viktor."

"We're not done yet, Comrades," Kamarov spoke as he came over to us, "There's a small village just this way filled with Germans... We're to meet Comrade Vylkalev there."

"Is there something he wants from us, Yuri?" I asked.

"Possibly, he says he has a surprise waiting for us."

"Relating to Hershing?"

"Maybe... We'll see once we get there, Viktor."

"I'll lead us there."

While much of the forces either remained to secure the field or went towards other areas that needed help, I lead a still good sized infantry force with Dimitri, Kamarov and Chernov as we started going down a slightly wide dirt pathway from the field with elevated ground on each side. Shortly as we started moving down the pathway, suddenly, German soldiers appeared on each elevated side of the pathway, firing gunshots down on us.

"Chyort, Krauts!" a Russian stated.

"Return fire, Comrades!" Dimitri responded.

A firefight occurred as Russian soldiers fired their guns at the enemies on the sides of the pathway while Germans rained gunshots down on them. I gunned two down on the right as Dimitri shot a few others, though German gunfire blazed and struck several friendlies down. While Kamarov and Chernov blazed cover rounds, I aimed and fired at the left, shooting four more enemies while the Russians fired shots that nailed a few of the Germans, then I gunned two more down on the left side.

The fierce skirmish went on as we kept fending off enemy soldiers on each side of the pathway. With Dimitri firing cover shots, I aimed at the right again, firing PPSH shots that gunned four more enemies down, then Russian soldiers fired their rifles and cut down several more enemies on both sides. Dimitri gunned a couple others down as I shot two others... Soon enough, after a fierce fight, the Germans on the sides of the pathway were eliminated, allowing us to continue onward.

"That's it," Chernov stated, "Let's hurry to the village."

Immediately, we kept moving down the pathway, and it wasn't long until we emerged from the path and came upon the area that contained the target village just before us... Once seeing the village just a very short distance away, we found Russian soldiers in different foxholes on the village perimeter to the right, firing their guns at enemy troops in the buildings and streets on the perimeter, who all rained gunfire down on them in return. With this vicious skirmish occurring in the village perimeter, I lead my forces right in to assist.

"There's the village," I stated, "Everyone, move in and attack!"

"Burn every one of them!" Dimitri said.

Braving the immense gunshots that rained on us from the building windows and ground soldiers on the village perimeter, my comrades and I joined with the Russians already there fighting, and we started firing rifle shots at enemy troops as well. As German soldiers kept firing shots at us, Dimitri and I fired PPSH shots back that gunned multiple enemies down while Russian soldiers fired immense rifle fire that cut numerous other Germans down. In the vicious fighting, I fired and shot numerous different soldiers in the house windows and on the ground while Kamarov and Chernov blazed fiery cover. German soldiers fired gunshots back, however, and nailed multiple friendly soldiers, so as Dimitri fired cover, I kept firing on and raking positions, shooting down a machine gunner. While Dimitri shot several other soldiers, I gunned multiple others down in the buildings and on the outside ground while Russian soldiers fired and cut numerous others down. After dodging some furious gunshots, I aimed and shot another machine gunner down in a window, and soon, once much fierce fighting occurred, the German defense dwindled severely. My comrades and I then shot down the last of the enemy soldiers on the village perimeter, and we could now move on to clear out the rest of the settlement.

"Move into the village, Comrades," I ordered, "Eradicate every single last rat from each building!"

We all moved furiously into the village, firing gunshots at enemy troops that appeared all around in houses and on the roads running through the settlement, while Germans fired their guns back at us in return. Vicious fighting went on through out the village, with Germans firing their guns from house windows and from the roads while we Russians braved the enemy gunshots that rained on us and fired our rifles back at them. German gunfire blazed from the buildings and cut numerous friendly soldiers down, while I fired and shot five enemies in different building windows, then Dimitri shot several others in the village as well. Kamarov shot a few others on the road as Chernov gunned down a couple more in the buildings, then Russian soldiers fired their rifles and nailed multiple German soldiers. The Germans all kept firing immense gunfire from different positions all around us, their gunshots raking our positions fiercely in a vicious battle, so I fired PPSH shots back and gunned six more Germans down on the roads running through the village as Kamarov and Chernov fired shots that raked and cut down several enemies. While the fierce battle in the village went on, Dimitri and I fired immense shots at different German house positions, with me shooting five more enemies in building windows as Dimitri gunned several others down, then the Russians all fired gunshots that cut numerous enemies down, continuing the vicious battle.

I shot two more Germans in a building window, then I aimed and gunned two more down in a different building's right window then shot one other in that same building's left window. After evading enemy bullets flying towards me, Dimitri fired cover shots as I fired and shot four others on a road, though the Germans all kept firing shots that cut multiple Russians down, blazing furious bullets that tore off limbs from their targets. Kamarov fired and shot several other Germans as Chernov gunned a few others down as well, then Dimitri shot a few more Germans by a fence as the fierce skirmish raged. I gunned two more enemies down in another building's left window and then aimed and shot another soldier that fired on me from the same building's right window, and as Dimitri shot several others in a couple buildings, I fired and shot four more Germans on another road. Russian soldiers kept braving enemy shots and firing their rifles at German positions, raking them with gunfire, and as Kamarov and Chernov fired cover shots, Dimitri and I kept firing PPSH fire at enemies in different building windows, as well as gunning others down on the roads while evading return fire. The Germans fired immense gunshots and cut numerous Russians to pieces, so I fired back and gunned four more enemies down in the windows of a couple buildings. Dimitri shot a few others by a fence, then I gunned down two others in a window before aiming and shooting another two enemies in a different building window, and we all kept fighting fiercely to clear the town.

With German and Russian soldiers firing at each others' positions all around the village, it was becoming increasingly difficult to root out every last defender. Still, We all kept fighting fiercely, with me shooting two more enemies by a fence, then as Dimitri shot a few others, I kept firing and gunning five more Germans down on the road passing through. Russian soldiers fired their guns and shot numerous enemies in the different buildings and on the roads, then I shot six more enemies within the village as the fierce skirmish raged with Hellish intensity. Bullets whizzed all around, splintering through the house walls and I did whatever I could to avoid the fiery projectiles. Dimitri blazed furious cover rounds as I shot at enemies in the building windows, raking their positions with fiery PPSH shots. As I gunned down another two soldiers in a building window, Chernov shot a few others, then I dodged a volley, aimed and shot two more in a different building window as Kamarov gunned a couple more down. German soldiers fired intense shots that gunned multiple friendlies down, but I fired shots that nailed five others in the village, then as Dimitri shot several more to pieces, I gunned two others down in another building.

I fired immense PPSH fire and shot multiple enemies in the windows of the houses and on roads, evading enemy bullets soaring at me as I kept fighting with furious aggression. With German gunfire raining all around them, Russian soldiers fired at German positions all around them, shooting numerous enemies to pieces, their bullets ripping off the limbs and flesh of enemy soldiers. As I shot four others in another building, Dimitri gunned down a few more by a fence, then I fired and nailed two more in a window. Chernov aimed and gunned a couple others down as I shot one other attacking from a doorway, then as Kamarov shot a few more enemies, I gunned down two more by a fence. However, as we kept fighting, the Germans fired intense gunshots from their positions and cut multiple friendlies to pieces, so I fired and shot four more in the windows of another building as Dimitri shot several others as well, then I gunned down two others by a fence. Chernov blazed fire that nailed a few others, then I shot four more enemies coming on the road. As I kept firing PPSH shots that raked enemy positions, the Germans fired their guns and cut down numerous Russians in a hail of fire, so in return, I kept firing my PPSH and shooting numerous enemies as Dimitri and Kamarov blazed fiery cover.

Still, we all kept fighting ferociously, clearing the houses of enemy resistance in much hard fighting. The Germans rained gunfire all around us, and as I evaded bullets, I fired and shot six more enemies in the village as Dimitri gunned a few others down, then Russian soldiers all fired their guns and shot multiple Germans a midst the vicious battle. The Germans kept resisting fiercely with stubborn desperation, so we all kept up the pressure, with me shooting more Germans in different houses, and as Dimitri fired immense cover, I shot five others in the open. Kamarov and Chernov kept blazing shots that took out a few positions as Russian soldiers braved enemy bullets and fired hails of gunfire at German positions, raking them to pieces. With much hard fighting occurring, I fired PPSH shots and nailed five more enemies in the village as Dimitri shot several others, then the Russians all fired their guns and cut numerous enemies down... Soon enough, we had almost just cleared the village to the end.

"The village is nearly ours!" Dimitri said.

"Wonderful," Kamarov stated, "Keep moving forward, Comrades!"

Braving past the desperate enemy fire, we all kept firing shots that gunned down any remaining Germans in the village... And after much hard vicious fighting, we had cleared away the last of the enemy presence, moving to the end of the village... Where we encountered one last house with boarded up windows and blazing machine gun fire that tore down several men and forced the rest of us into cover.

"Chyort," Dimitri said, "The bastards have made a fortress out of that house!"

"We need help!" Chernov spoke.

As Dimitri and I fired cover on the house and dodged shots, suddenly, Chernov was answered as three T-34 tanks rolled in from the right side of the house, the lead tank aimed and fired a couple shells that blasted apart the house and finishing it off. We emerged from cover as the tanks rolled near us, Dimitri and I walking over to the lead armor as the commander popped out of the hatch... Revealing Vylkalev.

"You're surprise is here." Vylkalev spoke.

"The trenches are secure, Lieutenant," I responded, "As well as the village."

"Good, but the Germans have heavy mechanized forces in the fields up ahead," Vylkalev continued, "I've held them off for now, but I'm hoping to get your help in making a counter thrust."

"I'm more than willing." I said.

"Then you and Dimitri climb in," Vylkalev said, "Kamarov, you take the tank next to me."

"Yes, Comrade Lieutenant," Kamarov answered, "Come, Chernov."

With that, Dimitri and I climbed aboard and entered Vylkalev's lead tank, with me manning the mounted DP 28 gun as Kamarov and Chernov boarded the tank next to us... We all then started rolling forward in our steel tigers while several other tanks and much of our infantry force following after, out to confront the bulk of this German attack.


	19. M-8: Steel Tigers - Pt 2

_The greatest tank battle of the war..._

As my first time riding in a T-34 tank, I stood from the hatch, manning the mounted DP 28 machine gun on top. Along for the ride were two other crewmen, one driving our vehicle while another served as the loader for our gun. Dimitri, his very first time in a tank, manned the hull mounted flamethrower as Vylkalev operated the radio. The crew had lost about half of their men in a previous ambush, so we took over parts that we could handle.

I looked to my right and saw another T-34 rolling next to me, with Kamarov manning the DP machine gun while Chernov was inside the tank. We all rolled our way up the pathway, where we were joined by numerous other tanks in groups, moving together as we quickly came upon some large grasslands.

"We've entered the battlefield, Comrades," Vylkalev said, "This is where we'll engage the Germans."

"How many Krauts are we facing?" Dimitri asked.

"Reports say great amounts of tanks, with support from other armored vehicles ahead... It could be entire mechanized and armored divisions out here."

Upon entering the grasslands, there was already a line of multiple T-34 tanks firing volleys of shells at enemy positions and tanks off in the distance. A midst this long ranged battle, I looked off in the far distance to see a line of German tanks, Tigers, firing shells back at us, while to the side, I saw a great many German tanks in groups, Panzer IVs and Panthers, rolling onto the field to further confront us.

"They will all burn," I said, "Let's raze them all to the ground!"

"Move forward, Comrades!" Vylkalev ordered.

Our tank rolled onto the grasslands while Kamarov's tank and the numerous other T-34s with us followed. The line of T-34s held their perimeter and kept blazing shells at enemy positions. We moved past the grass until we met the enemy tanks a moderate distance before us, just within our sights.

"They're they are!" Kamarov stated, "Open fire!"

My tank fired the first couple shots, which was followed by the rest of the T-34s with me firing some shells while the enemy tanks all fired projectiles back. A fierce battle occurred as all the Russian and German tanks on the field were firing shells at each other, blasting the other to pieces and sending pieces of dirt and grass into the air. I blasted away one tank and then Kamarov's armor took out another one, though enemy return fire blasted away a couple friendly vehicles. In return, I fired and destroyed two more tanks as Kamarov's tank blasted away another, then some of the other Russian tanks fired shells that destroyed several enemy tanks. In the intense heat, the German tanks fired back and destroyed a few friendly tanks, so my armor fired and took out another one at the right before dodging a shell, then aiming and blasting away another one to the left. Russian tanks fired shells that destroyed several other vehicles, then my tank blasted two more tanks to ruins, though the Germans fired shells back and destroyed a couple more friendly vehicles in return. In response, my tank shot and destroyed one more.

We all kept fighting in the grasslands, firing shells at different enemy tanks and vehicles all around us as the Germans rained fire down on us in return. My tank fired shells that destroyed several enemy tanks, blasting them to smouldering ruins. Kamarov's tank blazed some impressive cover, allowing me to fire hails of shells that destroyed three more tanks. With the fierce skirmish raging, the German tanks fired shells that destroyed several friendly tanks, so as I evaded enemy shells and grenades, I fired intense cover shots as the Russian tanks fired projectiles that blast a few enemy tanks to fiery pieces. I fired some shells and destroyed two more tanks, and eventually, after some hard fighting, we cleared away the first tank line in our way, allowing us to press forward.

"Move forward, men," Vylkalev ordered, "Seize the grounds up ahead!"

"Hunt those wretched svoloches down!" I shouted.

With more tanks following after us, we rolled down the field, where we encountered some greater challenges. There were more enemy tanks present, but there were also a great many of entrenched infantry positions, machine gun nests and bunkers, towers and Flak 88 guns spread all over the massive grasslands... And in full armored force, we headed straight for them.

"Brave Comrades of the Red Army," Kamarov stated, "Prepare your strength, and push forward to rid these savages from our glorious Soviet Mother Land!"

Immediately as we crossed into the further reaches of the grasslands, I fired hails of DP 28 machine gunfire at the German positions, gunning numerous enemies to pieces, the bullets bloodily ripping off their limbs. I looked over the the right of me and saw a ferocious battle occurring where trenches and positions filled and Russian infantry were firing hails of gunfire at German trenches and positions, who all fired immense gunshots back. With the trenches of Russian and German infantry firing intense gunfire at each other in vicious fighting the grasslands to the right of us, all of them shooting numerous soldiers down, I kept focusing on the enemies before me, firing DP 28 shots that fiercely raked enemy positions and cut multiple enemies down.

"Rip these vermin to shreds!" I shouted.

Enemy tanks blazed shells at us, taking out a couple friendly tanks. In response, my tank fired and destroyed an enemy Panzer, then I fired my DP gun and shot several enemy riflemen. Evading and withstanding shells from German armor, my tank fired a few shells that demolished two more tanks. As I fired some intense DP fire that cut multiple Germans to bloody pieces, a house nearby had enemy soldiers firing gunfire from the windows, so my tank aimed and fired a couple shots that blasted the house away. My tank aimed and destroyed a tower, which I followed by shooting several more enemy soldiers with the DP gun. A Panther tank fired a shell that struck my vehicle's front, so we returned fire and shot the enemy armor to a ruin, then a Panzerschreck rocket soared in from a tower and hit the ground near us, causing us to aim and blast away the tower.

"Demolish their tanks, Dimitri," I demanded, "Burn those rats in their steel coffins!"

Our tank blazed shells that took out a tank, and as I fired DP gunshots that raked and cut multiple enemy soldiers firing at us, we aimed to blast away a bunker. My tank fired a few shells that destroyed a couple attacking Panzers and then we blew a tower apart. I kept firing DP gunfire and cutting numerous more German soldiers on the field firing their guns at us, coming up to a German trench line. As I fired shots and raked the defenses, my tank blazed its flamethrower, incinerating the enemy defense.

"Send these Vermin to their graves," I ordered, "Hunt them down!"

A couple more Soviet tanks were blasted apart by enemy tank shells, so my tank and a couple others fired several shells back and destroyed a few more tanks that came in, firing at us. As another friendly tank was blasted apart, my tank fired and destroyed a tank to the right, then aimed and blasted another attacking armor straight ahead.

Once shooting down another tower, we came upon another bunker that blazed machine gun rounds. Immediately, we destroyed it with a shell, then we fired and destroyed two more tanks. A couple more friendly tanks fired shells that destroyed a few more Panzers, until two enemy tanks came in and blast them away, so my tank fired and demolished them in return, rendering them as a smouldering ruin.

"Dasvidanya, you wretched animal!" I shouted.

We then destroyed an attacking Flak 88 as I shot some more soldiers with the DP gun, then the tank blazed shells that took out a couple more tanks as I fired intense DP shots and raked German infantry positions, riddling them to pieces and cutting numerous enemies to bloody pieces. As another T-34 was destroyed, my tank blast apart a German tank to the left, then fired and blew away another armor to the right. As a few more friendly tanks came in, firing shells that destroyed several more enemy tanks, my T-34 destroyed another bunker and then aimed and took out a Flak gun. I then shot up multiple other Germans with my DP gun as my tank fired and destroyed a bunker.

"Attack!" I demanded, "Incinerate them!"

We fired and destroyed two more tanks straight ahead, and as I shot numerous more German soldiers in the field, firing their guns, the tank blew away another Panzer to the right. After taking out a couple of towers, I fired and shot up several infantry and machine gun positions, then we came upon a trench line. As I fired on the trench, my tank blazed the flamethrower and burned it out, then we continued on the path, destroying two more Flak guns.

I shot up multiple other Germans to the right as my tank fired and took out a couple Panzers, then I fired the DP gun and nailed some others to the left. The tank then took out the last Flak gun in the area as we destroyed another couple bunkers with shells. As we destroyed another tank, a couple T-34s came in and blast away a few more tanks, then we fired and destroyed another Panzer. I shot numerous more soldiers with the DP gun and then we took out a tower and destroyed another tank.

"Raze them all to Hell!" I shouted.

We moved down a pathway and destroyed another bunker that sprayed machine gun fire. As a few more Russian tanks were destroyed by enemy tank shells, my tank fired away and took out two more tanks. I fired my DP gun and riddled several more infantry and machine gun positions to pieces, destroying them, then I fired on and tore up a trench line. As my tank fired a couple shells that blew apart a bunker, I fired DP shots that riddled multiple Germans to pieces, then we fired and destroyed another tank. After taking down a tower, I fired and cut down numerous soldiers firing on us, then my tank fired shells that destroyed two more tanks, and then we moved down the pathway, withstanding a couple enemy shells and blasting another tank to pieces.

"Die, svoloche!" I said.

We all kept fighting fiercely, blasting away enemy tanks while evading incoming shells... Soon enough, we came upon an objective for us to contend with, a German supply base, just down the path for us to destroy.

"The Krauts have a supply and communications base up ahead," Vylkalev stated, "Let's take those svoloches!"

We came down the path and found a large German bunker, filled with supply storage, and surrounded by trench lines and machine gun nests. I looked over to a tree filled ridge at the right and saw numerous Russian soldiers lined along the ridge, firing hails of intense rifle fire on the German defenses below them. As the line of Russian infantry fired gunshots at the enemy positions, my tank and several others rushed to take on the challenge.

My tank fired several shells at the German bunker, blasting pieces off as I fired DP shots that raked the infantry positions, cutting some soldiers down. The friendly tanks with me fired shells that rained on the enemy forces, while the German defenses blazed machine gun fire back at us... That didn't matter, however, as my tank kept firing shells that destroyed the machine gun nests, then I shot up the infantry as the line of Russian soldiers on the ridge fired rifle shots at enemy positions and friendly tanks kept blasting away at the defenses.

We fired and destroyed the remaining couple machine gun nests and then rolled up to the bunker itself, blasting chunks off of it. As I fired DP fire at the remaining infantry positions, my tank blew apart the bunker with shells... Then we blazed the flamethrower and set the whole place ablaze, destroying it in a fiery explosion... The supply bunker was done for and we could move on.

"Excellent," Vylkalev said, "They're collapsing... Now let's move on to the North. There's a base there with maps that I want. Let's take it all from them!"

My tank came out from the ridge and entered another field. I looked over to the left, seeing a field behind a short stone fence, where waves of Russian infantry were charging and firing their guns at a line of German positions on the field. The enemy defenses proved tough, as the Germans fired intense gunfire from their positions and shot numerous Russians in the field. Even as the Germans kept firing gunshots that ripped and cut multiple friendly Russians to bloody, gory pieces in the field, the brave Russians all kept charging, fighting these positions.

Once we entered our field with numerous T 34s following after, however, we found a great number of enemy tanks waiting for us, along with many German troops in support... But as I fired my DP gun at enemy infantry and because we had our own sizable tank force, we immediately rushed to engage them.

"Chyort, Nazi reinforcements," I shouted, firing the DP gun, "Burn them!"

The enemy tanks all fired hails of shells and destroyed multiple Russian tanks, but we held our ground and fired shells back. As my tank fired and destroyed two Panzers, friendly tanks blasted several enemy tanks to pieces, then I fired DP gunshots that raked and tore some German soldiers down. My T-34 destroyed another tank as Kamarov's tank rolled in and blasted two Panzers to blazing ruins, then my armor wrecked another tank with a couple shells. The German tanks all kept firing shells that destroyed several friendly tanks, blasting them to smouldering pieces, but we still kept fighting fiercely, with my tank firing shots that blasted two more tanks away, then Kamarov's tank fired and destroyed another one. With the Russian and German tanks fighting fiercely, my tank fired and took out another Panzer as I then shot numerous soldiers with my DP gun. We moved slowly through the field, with Kamarov destroying another tank as my armor destroyed another one, clearing more of the field.

The air reeked of blood and the hot humidity of burning steel, as if we were in a steel mill itself. But that didn't deter us from fighting, for I kept firing gunshots that tore multiple soldiers to pieces, ripping off bloody flesh and limbs with my DP gun. My tank destroyed another Panzer as a few more enemy tanks were blasted by T-34s, but the Germans fired shells back and destroyed several friendly tanks. While Kamarov's tank destroyed another Panzer, my tank fired and blasted two more tanks to pieces, then we moved through the field. We dodged and withstood further enemy shells and machine gun fire as my tank and I fired and raked enemy positions and tanks with shells and DP machine gunfire. As my tank destroyed another Panzer, Kamarov's armor fired and blasted another one down. As the Germans kept firing and raking them with shells, the T-34s with us fired hails of shells back and took out some enemy tanks, then I fired a few shells that destroyed an attacking Tiger tank.

"Keep moving forward," Kamarov ordered, "We need to reach that base!"

"Destroy anyone in our path, Viktor!" Dimitri said.

Eventually, after much hard fighting, we cleared the enemy armor from this field and then moved on. I watched over to the field to the left, still watching waves of Russian infantry charging the German positions firing on them as my tank rolled forth to the next objective.

"There's Kraut infantry in trench systems," Dimitri warned, "In front of us!"

That was when we encountered several trench systems with German infantry firing hails of immense rifle fire and machine gun shots. I fired intense DP fire that ripped at the trenches, cutting numerous soldiers to pieces, with several friendly tanks with me firing machine gun fire and shells at the trenches as well. With me firing DP fire and gunning multiple enemies to pieces, the Germans kept firing desperate gunfire at our tanks. While the other T-34s provided cover shots, my tank went up to the trench, and I fired machine gun shots at the trench defenders, littering them with bullets, while our flamethrower chased them off.

After hard fighting, we cleared away the trench systems, firing machine gun shots and shells to blast them to pieces, then we rolled forward to encounter a line of bunkers just behind the trench. The bunkers fired hails of gunfire at us, even some Panzershreck rockets that took out a couple T-34s, so while I fired cover shots, my tank blazed shells and destroyed two bunkers. Kamarov's tank fired some shots that blasted the concrete off another bunker. After I fired a couple more shells, I destroyed the last tow bunkers and moved on ahead.

Coming upon a pathway, I encountered two Panthers in dug in positions, firing shots that destroyed a few friendly tanks. After evading shots, my tank fired shells back and destroyed the two Panthers and then we moved forward.

"Chase the Krauts down the pathways!" Dimitri ordered.

"Destroy every last Panzer!" Kamarov spoke.

Once entering the next area, we blazed shells that took out another Panzer, then fired and destroyed two bunkers blazing machine gunfire before evading shots to fire shells that destroyed a couple other tanks. My tank kept dodging shots and then we blasted a tower that was firing Panzershreck rockets, then fired and tore another Panzer to shreds. Another bunker appeared and fired machine gun shots, so we fired shells that blasted it to pieces, then we aimed and destroyed another tower, causing it to collapse. Some German infantry came out and fired their guns at us, but I fired my DP gun and cut them all down.

"Move forward," I said, "keep incinerating them!"

More T-34s joined us, firing shells at German defenses as we moved through the grasslands. My tank fired shots that destroyed two more tanks, then I fired and destroyed a bunker. A couple of friendly tanks were blasted apart by Panzers, so my tank fired and destroyed another enemy tank, then a few T-34s came in and blasted a couple Panzers to smouldering shreds. As my tank destroyed another bunker, the German tanks fired and destroyed a few friendly tanks, so I had my tank aim and blast another Panzer.

A midst this fierce tank skirmish, we all kept holding our ground and fending off armor attacks. The Germans destroyed a couple more T-34s with shells, so as the fighting raged, my tank blazed shots back and took out two more tanks, then several T-34s fired and shot a few Panzers to shreds.

"Hah, yes!" I remarked, "Slaughter these animals!"

As we moved forward, we came upon some more entrenched defenses. As I fired my DP gun and cut some infantry to bloody shreds, my tank went up and blazed the flamethrower to burn the trench out. Suddenly, Flak guns appeared and took out a T-34. In response, I fired a shell that blasted a Flak gun apart, then we aimed and shot down a tower. Another T-34 destroyed a Flak gun, but then the tank was hit and set ablaze by a third gun. I then fired a shell and destroyed the third gun before aiming at and blasting another tower down. While the other tanks provided cover, my tank took out a Panzer before moving and blazing the flamethrower to eliminate a bunker.

"We're nearly there," Vylkalev stated, "Keep following this path!"

We moved into another area to find some tanks, with bunkers and towers in support. We moved in to engage, withstanding the enemy Panzers firing shells and the bunkers and towers blazing machine gun fire and Panzershreck rockets. While a few friendly tanks were hit by shells and destroyed, our tanks fired shells back and blasted several tanks to pieces, with my tank firing shots that took out two tanks and then aimed and blasted a couple bunkers away as well. Some German soldiers tried to rush and climb on my tank, but I shot them first.

The fighting raged intensely, with my tank firing shots that took out another Panzer and a bunker. As other T-34s blazed intense cover shots, my tank destroyed a tower and then blasted two more tanks as well. I fired DP gunshots that raked multiple attacking enemy soldiers down, then my tank destroyed a tower before aiming and blasting another bunker open.

"Excellent," I exclaimed, "These savages are collapsing!"

As we kept moving through the area, we destroyed another bunker, then I fired DP shots that cut numerous enemy soldiers and positions to pieces. My tank destroyed another attacking Panzer and then aimed and blasted another bunker blazing machine gun shots. Other friendly tanks came in and shot up different positions, and my tank fired shells and destroyed two more Panzers. I then fired machine gun shots that riddled enemy trench positions and after firing several shells, we destroyed them. We nearly cleared the area as we then fired and destroyed another bunker, and after evading shells, we aimed and shot up the last Panzer, finally clearing them off.

"We've driven them away," Vylkalev spoke, "Our target is just up ahead... Let's get over there!"

We followed Vylkalev's lead and went down the short path, with Kamarov's tank and other T-34s and trucks following after us. Once coming around the corner of the trees, we saw the German camp just up ahead... So as Soviet trucks stopped and unloaded Russian soldiers who all started heading towards the camp, my tank drove up just near the camp, and then we stopped, preparing for the next move.

"From the vehicle," Vylkalev ordered, "Dismount."

Dimitri and I emerged from the tank, holding our PPSH guns and went to the ground, while Vylkalev manned the DP machine gun and blazed rounds on Germans before us. Kamarov and Chernov also came out of their tank and, along with numerous other Russian soldiers, joined us as we aimed for the enemy camp just before us.

"Charge, Comrades," I demanded, "Force them into submission!"

"Kill all these svoloches!" a Russian soldier shouted.

Upon entering the camp, we Russians all fired our guns at the numerous different tents and enemy soldiers before us, commencing a fierce battle in the camp. As we fired hails of gunfire at the tents, shooting numerous enemies to pieces, the Germans fired gunshots back and nailed multiple friendly soldiers in return. I fired shots that raked enemy positions in the camps, then I gunned six enemies down with PPSH fire as Dimitri shot several others. Fierce fighting raged through the camp as gunfire rippled through the tents, shooting numerous soldiers down while raking pieces from the tents and crates spread out the area. I gunned two enemies down by a tent and then shot four others to the right while Dimitri gunned down a few more Germans. The Russians fired gunshots that nailed multiple Germans in the camp, then Kamarov shot a few other enemies as Chernov gunned a couple more down. While I gunned two Germans down by a tent, Dimitri shot a few more enemies down as I fired and nailed four others, then as Chernov gunned down a few enemies, I shot two others by some crates. The fighting raged even fiercer as the Germans all fired and nailed several friendlies, but as I shot multiple others in the camp, the Russians all fired and gunned several enemies down, and we kept moving through while fighting continued resistance.

Vicious fighting went on as we Russians moved through the camp, braving German gunfire that emitted from the tents and enemy positions while shooting any Germans in our way. A midst the battle, I fired and shot four more Germans by a couple tents, then as Dimitri gunned several others down, I fired and nailed two others by some crates while Kamarov shot a few more Germans, then I gunned down two more at the right. The Germans fired and shot numerous friendlies to pieces, so I shot four more Germans at the right and then gunned two more down by a tent. Chernov gunned a few others down as Dimitri shot several Germans by a couple tents, then the Russians fired gunshots that tore multiple enemies down in the tents and out in the open of the camp. Fierce fighting kept up as I fired my PPSH and shot numerous enemies in the camp, while still raking their positions with intense gunfire. The Russians all kept firing gunshots that riddled enemy positions, but the Germans fired their guns back, shooting several friendlies in return. In response, though, I shot two more by a tent before evading shots from a machine gun that nearly tore me open with its powerful bullets, and as I took cover, I aimed and shot the gunners.

Moving further through the camp, Dimitri and I fired PPSH fire and shot multiple enemies by different tents crates and other positions while the Russians with us all fired hails of intense gunfire that cut numerous Germans in the camp to pieces. Vicious fighting went on as the Germans all fired gunshots that nailed multiple friendlies, so I gunned two more down by a tent and then fired PPSH shots that riddled six more Germans, then shot two others by a second tent. Dimitri and Chernov both shot several enemy soldiers while the Russians gunned multiple others down as well. While I fired shots that raked German positions in the camp, I shot four more by a couple tents at the left, then aimed and shot another four Germans by a few tents at the right, then gunning two more down by come crates. Kamarov fired and gunned down a few more enemies as we moved further through the camp, shooting more enemies in the way. In a fierce skirmish, I gunned two more down by a tent, though the Germans fired shots that nailed several Russians. In return, I shot four more Germans to the right and then gunned two others down by some crates as the Russians fired shots back, cutting numerous enemies to pieces, then we could move up further.

"Chyort," a Russian said, "Die, you savage animal!"

"I'll burn all you Kraut bastards!" another Russian shouted.

We Russians kept fighting through the camp, shooting numerous enemies in our way as we moved up. I fired and raked the tents and positions with PPSH fire, gunning multiple Germans down... Eventually, after much hard fighting, we moved up past the tents and came to a large bunker... This is where we would find what we needed.

"Place a charge on the door." Kamarov ordered.

Chernov immediately went up to the door of the bunker and got to work with the charges. With one set, Chernov ran for cover as the charge went off, clearing the way for entrance. Dimitri and I then entered the bunker.

"Find those maps, Reznov," Kamarov said from outside, "Get out once you've secured them."

Dimitri and I moved down the short rooms and corridors, shooting any attacking Germans in the way. We cleared the first room of Germans in a firefight before entering a hallway, where we encountered several enemies firing shots. We held our ground and fired back, shooting them down and then we made our way into another room, where we engaged in a fight with some enemy soldiers and officers. We both gunned a couple down, but they fired back and drove us to cover behind tables. Still, we fired back and shot the remaining few enemies down. We then cleared another corridor of soldiers away before coming to a back room, shooting down the remaining couple soldiers inside as we gazed upon the table, containing the maps containing parts of the area.

We grabbed the documents and Dimitri put them into his pack, then we rushed back down the corridors to the exit. Dimitri and I came out of the bunker and regrouped with Kamarov and Chernov, then we started making our way back down through the camp, with other Russians following.

"Are you all right?" Chernov asked, "We need to get back to our tanks.

Suddenly though, as we were just still on the ground just outside the bunker, a fierce, hellish fire started ripping through the area. Flames surrounded me as an explosion from a grenade nearby just nearly made me lose balance and separated me from some others... And that's when the terror came in, their black tunics with grey smocks and balaclavas, and the dragon with the swastika on their helmets... Asien Korps soldiers... Hershing.

There were several of Hershing's soldiers, and they fired terrifying hails of gunfire from FG 42 guns and STG 44 rifles, cutting numerous of my fellow Soviets down. As they kept firing gunshots that tore several friendly soldiers to shreds, emerging from my cover, I fired intense PPSH fire back that raked the incoming powerful enemies. While dodging shots from one Korps soldier, I shot that one enemy so much that he was killed rather quickly. But my surprise element was gone and the Asien Korps soldiers fired shots towards me, nearly taking me down as I dove into cover. However, Dimitri came in and fired shots that covered me, allowing me to fire and hit another Korps trooper. The enemy fired back, but I dodged his bullets and then gunned him down.

Dimitri and I kept fighting in a fierce skirmish, with both of us firing intense PPSH fire at incoming Korps troops, who all withstood or dodged our shots and fired powerful shots back at us, driving us back to cover until we could fire again. I fired again and then dodged return fire as Dimitri blazed cover, then I fired at them again while evading their gunshots that nearly killed me. I fired a hail of continuous gunfire that raked and gunned two Korps soldiers down, but then they fired back and nearly gunned me down. Dimitri fired cover, allowing me to fire again until I was driven to cover, but Dimitri kept firing, allowing me to shoot another Korps enemy down. Diving back into cover and evading more powerful enemy rounds, I fired shots back before being driven to cover again by enemy shots. But as Dimitri blazed furious cover, I fired continuous PPSH shots that tore down two more Korps soldiers.

As Dimitri fired cover shots, I started moving and then he followed as I turned and shot another Korps soldier down with riddling fire. We evaded further dangerous shots, nearly being gunned down by their powerful gunfire, but we both kept firing at them to cover the rest of our men, while running away from this danger.

We were still gravely in peril... But that's just up until Kamarov came in and began to hold them off. "Reznov, get the others out of here," Kamarov ordered, "I'll hold off these beasts!"

Kamarov and several of his men kept fending off the Korps soldiers, while I escorted, Dimitri, Chernov and most of the other Soviets back to our vehicles. As the Russians got back on their trucks and tanks and began driving away, leaving just me, Dimitri and Chernov, I looked back and saw Kamarov holding his own. I stood by a tent with Dimitri while Chernov rushed down the camp back to the tank, just as we saw as Kamarov's men were quickly wounded by the deadly Korps troops, leaving him to fend off by himself. He managed to shoot down one Korps soldier... But then an SS officer came in and then fired an STG 44 rifle that riddled Kamarov's legs, bringing him down... That's when I saw the officer from a distance to be Hershing himself.

Kamarov was in pain from the damage to his legs, and Hershing stood over him with a relishing smile. I saw with anger and disbelief as I watched the scene unfurl just a distance away... Hershing wielded his knife as Kamarov was on his blood soaked knees, then Hershing took Kamarov's left arm and crudely sliced it off, leaving him in further pain... But he still remained defiant, making an insult in Russian.

"Kamarov," Dimitri shouted in concern, while I held him back from behind, "Yuri!"

Hershing just kept an amused smirk as he then sliced Kamarov's eye with the knife. The Nazi officer then proceeded to slowly stroke the top of Kamarov's head before grasping his hair and then twisting and thrusting the knife into Kamarov's throat, violently and bloodily finishing him off as the Commissar fell over, lifeless.

"Yuri!" Dimitri yelled in despair, but I still managed to hold him from behind and rush him back over to our tank, just as Hershing gave an order to his men to execute the wounded Russians by Kamarov, shooting and bayoneting them until death... There was nothing that we could have done anymore.

Dimitri and I ran through the camp, just as we saw Vylkalev running over towards us, searching with concern as he spoke, "I came looking for you... Where's Kamarov?"

"He's gone." I answered solemnly.

"...We will have to mourn him later, Reznov," Vylkalev continued, "We need to get back to our tank, Chernov is starting it up now... There's a village to the South East that needs our attention."

While saddened by the loss of our comrade, we kept moving through the camp, running past the tents until we reached our tank. Almost everyone had left in trucks and tanks to the target village, leaving just Dimitri and I with Vylkalev and Chernov. With the T-34 already running, we all boarded the tank and started moving away from the camp, rolling down the pathway towards the village... Eventually, we could mourn Kamarov.

"Watch out for any Panzers." Vylkalev warned.

Our tank moved down the pathway, leaving tread marks behind us. After a short moments time, surely there were enemy tanks in our way, blazing shells at us. Withstanding and dodging their attacks, my tank fired shells back, damaging one armor to the right before aiming and destroying an attacking tank to the left, then aimed back and fired to finish off the tank at the right. Moving on, I encountered a bunker that blazed machine gun rounds, but I aimed and fired a couple shells that blew away the bunker before encountering a couple more tanks that blazed several shells. A midst the fierce fight, I fired shells back and blasted the two Panzers to smoking ruins.

Our tank kept trudging down the pathway, meeting some more resistance along the way. As I dodged an attack and fired to destroy another tank, we moved further to encounter a bunker that fired a machine gun. I aimed directly at the window and blast it to bits in one. Another tank came in and attacked, but I held my own and fired, blasting the tank away and clearing my path to reach the village... Eventually, as we rolled on down the pathway, we could see the target village just a short distance away, with fellow Russians waiting outside it.

The Russians on the outside of the village were firing their guns at German positions in the outskirts, while German soldiers fired gunshots from building windows and on the open ground back and tore numerous Russians to pieces, their bullets ripping off limbs. As the Russians and Germans battled each other fiercely, my tank rolled near to help my comrades... And push forward to take the village.

"Dismount from the vehicle," Vylkalev ordered, "Strike the village."

Once reaching near our men, I jumped out of the tank, followed by Dimitri and Chernov and then we went over with the other Russians who were firing gunshots at German positions in the buildings on the outskirts. As enemy fire rained back at us, I fired PPSH shots that raked the enemy building positions and gunned numerous soldiers down as Dimitri and Chernov fired intense covering shots. The Russians kept firing their guns and riddling the German positions to pieces with intense gunfire... Eventually, after some fighting, we cleared away enough German forces in the outskirts to move in. Vylkalev came in with an SVT 40, blazing shots that finished off a few Germans and then he started moving down a different passage through the village, taking some men with him.

"Reznov, take your men and move down the left road through the village," Vylkalev ordered, "I'll take the others down the right passage... We'll regroup at the village hall!"

"All right," I replied, "I'll see you on the other side, Comrade."

With Vylkalev and his men moving down the right side of the village, I lead my troops down the left, with Dimitri and Chernov at my side. Immediately as we went into the village itself, German soldiers appeared on the streets and in the building windows to confront us, firing their rifles and SMGs. With enemy gunfire raining on us from the streets and buildings, striking multiple friendlies down, we Russians took positions on our side of the road and fired our guns back, shooting as many Germans in our way. I fired PPSH fire that raked the German positions, shooting five enemies on the road as Dimitri gunned a few others down. While Chernov shot several more enemies, the Russians fired back and shot numerous enemies in the streets and some buildings. I fired and gunned down four attacking Germans in the building windows as Dimitri gunned several others down in the street with PPSH fire, then I shot four more enemies in the windows of a couple buildings. The Germans all kept firing gunshots that raked our positions, though as I fired and shot five more enemies in the street, the Russians kept firing rifle fire that gunned numerous enemies down, then I shot four others in the building windows.

The fierce battle in the village raged with intense fury, with German soldiers blazing gunfire from their side of the street while we held our ground, firing our guns back. As we slowly moved through the village, the Germans stepped up their defense, gunning numerous friendlies down, so I fired intense shots that raked the German building positions. With the Russians all firing immense cover shots, I gunned two more enemies down in a building window, then shot four others in the street. Dimitri shot several more enemies in the village as Chernov gunned a few others down, then I gunned two more down in a window. With the Russians blazing gunfire at enemy held houses, I gunned two more down in a house window, then shot four others in the street. German soldiers kept firing their rifles and shooting multiple friendlies to pieces, so I gunned two others down in the street as Dimitri shot a few more down by a fence, then I fired and shot four other Germans in the windows of a couple buildings. Chernov gunned a couple others down, and as I shot two more soldiers in the street, the Russians all fired their guns and cut numerous enemies down in the village.

"Burn these savage animals!" I shouted, "Drive them to Hell!"

I kept firing PPSH shots that gunned multiple attacking enemies down in the streets and building windows while Russian soldiers fired immense gunfire from their positions and shot more Germans as well in a vicious skirmish. The enemy troops kept blazing fire from houses, so Dimitri and I fired intense shots that gunned several down in the house windows, then shot another several by a fence. I gunned two more down in a house window and as Chernov shot a few others, I gunned two more down in a different house. Dimitri fired and nailed several more enemies in the village streets, and as I shot five more Germans in the building windows, then Russians all fired their guns and cut numerous enemies to pieces. As I fired and gunned four more soldiers down in the windows of a couple houses and then aimed at the right to shoot two more soldiers in a different house, we slowly moved up, meeting some more gunfire. With the Germans firing their rifles and shooting multiple friendlies, I fired and nailed five more Germans in the streets and then Dimitri gunned a few others down.

With us moving through the village, braving enemy fire and shooting any Germans in our way, we were nearing the end of the village itself. I shot four more enemies in the streets as Dimitri gunned a few others down and Chernov nailed a couple others with SVT rounds. With the Russians firing gunshots and striking multiple enemies down, I shot two others in a right building window, then gunned two more down in another house as Dimitri shot several more Germans with his PPSh. Chernov fired and nailed a few enemies as Dimitri shot several others, then the Russians fired gunshots that raked enemy positions and cut numerous Germans to bloody pieces. I then shot four more enemies on the street, and as Dimitri and Chernov blazed fiery cover, I gunned down two more attackers in a house window. Eventually, after much hard fighting, we cleared our way to the end of the village... Where we reunited with Vylkalev as he battled two machine guns tearing at his men.

"German machine gun," Chernov warned, "Over there!"

"Shit," Dimitri said, "Kill these bastards!"

Regrouping with Vylkalev, we fired shots on the last two machine guns as it blazed furious rounds on us, striking several friendlies. As Dimitri fired cover shots, I aimed and shot the left gunner down, only for the right one to fire at me and drive me to cover. As I dodged the bullets and waited for my shot, Dimitri and Vylkalev blazed cover at it, allowing me to aim and gun the enemy down... The machine guns were neutralized and the village was now clear... But even then, we knew that wasn't it.

"Everyone," Vylkalev spoke, "Get in position and prepare for their counterattack!"

"They will come for our blood," I said to the men, "Ensure that they drown in their own instead!"

All the men took positions in the building windows and foxholes on the outskirts of the village, aiming their guns at the surrounding land and just waiting for the Germans to come at us. As the Russians soldiers all held positions and aimed their guns, even manning a couple Maxim machine guns, Vylkalev manned a mounted DP gun by some crates right on the villa perimeter, while Dimitri, Chernov and I aimed our guns out the windows of a house just looking at the open terrain around the villa.

Eventually, mortar strikes rained down on the ground before us, even hammering slightly within the village itself, causing minor damage... But we held our ground and got even more ready.

"Comrades," I shouted to inspire, now in Russian, "Dlya Sovetskiy Soyuza i nashey slavnoy Materi Rossii! (For the Soviet Union, and our glorious Mother Russia)!"

Soon after, German troops began coming at our side of the village, with a great number of troops. Immediately, the Russians all fired their guns, cutting numerous enemies down with immense gunfire as a vicious battle ensued. While the men fired on the enemy force, I fired PPSH shots at German troops as well, with Dimitri and Chernov firing intense cover shots and Vylkalev blazing machine gun rounds that pinned the oncoming onslaught.

"I'll kill you Kraut bastards!" a Russian said, firing his gun.

"Burn in Hell!" another Russian shouted furiously.

With the fierce skirmish raging for control of this village, we all kept holding off this onslaught of German troops. Russian soldiers were firing intense gunfire from their positions and gunning numerous more Germans to bloody pieces, their bullets ripping off limbs. I fired and shot five enemies as Dimitri gunned several others down, then I shot two more to the right while Chernov fired and nailed a few more Germans. The Russians all fired shots that cut multiple other enemy soldiers down as Vylkalev blazed machine gun fire that kept the enemy horde at bay, but they just kept coming for us. Stepping up our defense, the Russians all kept shooting more enemies, with me firing and gunning six Germans down, then as Dimitri shot a few more enemies, I fired and nailed five others coming in. The Russians all kept firing shots from their positions, raking and pinning the incoming German waves, with me shooting two more at the right, and as Dimitri and Chernov gunned several others down, I shot another two straight ahead. We all kept fighting in this fierce battle to hold off the assault, with Dimitri and I showing anger due to our recent losses. As I shot six more soldiers, Dimitri gunned a few more down, then I shot five more incoming enemies while Chernov gunned down a couple other Germans before I then shot two more to the right.

The battle kept raging in a ferocious manner, with waves of Germans still coming. As we Russians fired on them, the Germans dug into positions of their own and fired intense gunshots back at us, shooting multiple friendlies. Dimitri and Chernov kept firing intense cover shots, with Vylkalev still raking German troops with DP fire, so the Russians kept firing gunfire from the houses and shooting numerous incoming enemies to pieces. As I gunned down two Germans to the right, Dimitri shot a few soldiers, then I fired and nailed five more enemies. As I kept firing shots that raked enemy troops, the Russians fired more intense gunfire from the houses and cutting multiple Germans down. Still, the Germans kept coming, with a flammenwerfer operator storming in and spraying flames that incinerated a couple friendly soldiers, so in response, I angrily gunned him down, blasting the fuel tank in the process. Withstanding Russian gunfire raking their positions, the Germans fired gunshots that gunned numerous friendlies down, so I shot two more incoming soldiers to the left and then fired PPSH fire that nailed five more enemies. As Dimitri and Chernov gunned several more Germans, the Russians fired intense gunfire that raked enemy positions and cut numerous Germans to pieces, then I gunned two more down.

"Die, you savage animal!" a Russian soldier shouted.

"Chyort," another Russian said, "Fire on these svoloches!"

"Rip these bastards to shreds!" a third Russian said.

We all kept firing immense gunfire at German troops, cutting more of them down as they kept raining fire on our positions. I went outside the house as two flammenwerfer operators moved up and sprayed flames at Soviet positions, burning several friendly soldiers. I aimed and shot one operator dead before taking out and throwing a Molotov cocktail at the second one, incinerating him with splashing fire. A German charged at me, I punched him and slashed him with my knife, then I kept shooting more soldiers... But they kept coming.

"Sie wilde slawischen Bastarde (You savage Slavic bastards)," an incoming German soldier shouted, "Ich werde alles, was Sie Tiere verbrennen! (I'll burn all you animals!)"

"Chyort," I shouted, "Silence all these Nazi bastards!"

We all kept fighting fiercely to hold off this attack, with Vylkalev blazing fire that raked and pinned German troops as the rest of us fired intense gunshots. A couple German soldiers rushed at me, but I slashed one down with my knife and then punched the other before stabbing him with the blade just before firing more PPSH shots at enemy soldiers... Eventually, after some hard fighting, the Germans began retreating, running back down the field until they had disappeared... The village was ours.

"We have achieved victory, Comrades," a Russian spoke, "Secure the area, men. Prepare for further operations."

As the Russians all cheered for their success, I just remained quiet and calm, glad that we won... But I still had reasons to feel other than that. That was when Vylkalev came up to me.

"You have done very well, Viktor," Vylkalev spoke, "I'll see that you are commended for your work... Still, I'm very sorry for your loss, Sergeant... Take whatever time you need, but then get ready to move out soon."

As Vylkalev walked away, I saw Dimitri sitting on the ground, feeling rather somber. Sympathizing with my friend, I knelt down behind him to his right and placed a hand on his arm. As he placed his hand on the arm comforting him, we both looked at each other with solace... My expression gave him reassurance, _Do not worry, my friend_ , I thought, _Kamarov will be remembered... And avenged._


	20. M-9: Keep Enemies Closer

_Our stand has been great, and our sacrifices heavy on us. My comrades will not be in vain, we will take back what is ours... But I know that there is another threat that I'm to contend with. I will discover this new adversary, peer inside his mind, so I can make sure he can longer threaten the Soviet Union.  
_

 **'Keep Enemies Closer'**

 **Kursk, U.S.S.R.**

 **July 16, 1943**

 **Sgt. Viktor Reznov**

 **270th Rifle Division**

Looking around at the trees in this forest, it was rather quiet. The sun had disappeared into night, and the only light I could see now was when I struck a match against a tree I was next to, using the lit match to light my pipe. After throwing the match away, I smoked stoically from the pipe, taking an inhale of smoke before sending a puff of it from my mouth... As I kept the pipe in my mouth, I looked to the right of me, seeing Dimitri holding his scoped SVT 40 rifle and looking ready for combat.

I turned my head to see just all around me, where I saw a great many fellow Russian soldiers, armed with rifles and sub machine guns holding positions by trees. Chernov was just nearby among them, holding his Mosin rifle.

As I watched the terrain before me, which only seemed more quiet, I suddenly felt Dimitri place his hand on my shoulder and spoke, "The Krauts may be coming through here any minute."

Taking one last breath of smoke, I took out my pipe, and with a couple controlled swiping gestures from from my arm, the Russian soldiers got further into position by the trees, all aiming their guns at the land before us.

While Dimitri aimed his rifle, I slung my own scoped SVT 40 rifle across my back while brandishing my primary PPSH gun in my hands. Dimitri and I got into position by a couple of trees, then I spoke to him, "The Germans will come through here, we ambush them, then fight past this forest and reach the village... We'll get help from Vylkalev there, and then seize and hold the village."

I looked back at the forest before me, and soon enough, I saw shadows moving through the trees, so I aimed my PPSH at them while Dimitri aimed his SVT rifle, and all the other numerous Russian soldiers aimed their guns with more concentration... As we waited and aimed, we got a clearer view of them as they spoke in their language... They were German soldiers.

"Attack," I shouted, "Fire!"

Immediately, I fired my PPSH from my tree and shot five enemy soldiers, then all the Russians with me fired immense hails of gunfire from their tree positions, shooting numerous other Germans down as Dimitri fired cover with his SVT rifle that gunned down a few enemies as well. A vicious battle emerged in the trees of this forest, with bullets flying all over, splitting through the trees and piercing through wood and flesh. A midst the intensity of the fighting, while multiple Germans were shot by Russian gunfire emitting from our side of the trees, many Germans in return fired their guns back and shot several friendlies as well. While I fired covering shots, Chernov gunned a couple other enemies down with his Mosin, but the Germans took positions by trees and fired their guns furiously, shooting multiple Russians to pieces. Still, the fighting raged as Dimitri shot several enemies with his rifle, then I fired PPSH shots that gunned six more Germans down while Dimitri blazed rounds that struck a couple others. While Dimitri and I fired covering shots, the Russians fired intense gunfire from their tree positions and shot several Germans, and the vicious fighting raged on in the trees of the forest.

The Russians and the Germans kept firing immense gunfire at each other from the trees on their sides of the forest, with me shooting two more enemies and Dimitri gunning a couple others down, then Chernov aimed and gunned a few others down as well. The battle raged ever furiously, with German gunfire blazing and splintering through the trees, gunning numerous fellow Russians down. Still, as I fired some PPSH shots and gunned five more enemies down, the Russians fired rifle shots that nailed several more Germans, then I gunned down two others. Dimitri fired his rifle and shot several other Germans as Chernov gunned down a couple more, though German soldiers fired their rifles from their tree cover and shot multiple Russians down. In response, I gunned down two other enemies as the fierce battle raged in the forest, then I fired and shot six more Germans while Dimitri gunned a few others down as well. With the Russians and the Germans still firing rifle shots at each other from their tree positions, the Russians fired intense gunfire back and shot numerous enemies to pieces, then I gunned two more down as the vicious battle raged on a midst the trees.

"Die, you Kraut bastards!" Dimitri shouted, firing his rifle.

"Burn in Hell!" a Russian said to the enemy.

German and Russian soldiers just kept firing their guns at one another, firing immense rifle shots at the others' tree cover. After much intense fighting, however, as we kept firing our guns, we saw the Germans here beginning to diminish, and their resistance started deteriorating faster and faster. I kept shooting multiple enemies in the forest from my tree position as the fierce fighting kept raging... Soon enough, as this skirmish went on here, we eventually shot down the last of the Germans at this point, allowing us to move on.

"Move up, move up!" I ordered.

We all proceeded to emerge from our tree positions and all the Russian soldiers followed after Dimitri, Chernov and I as we made our way through the forest. However, immediately, we encountered more German soldiers before us, all alerted to our presence and firing their guns through the trees at our advance.

"Shit, German infantry!" Dimitri warned.

"Chyort, kill those Kraut bastards!" another Russian said during the fighting.

I fired my PPSH and shot two more enemies down by a tree and then aiming and firing more shots that cut four others down while Dimitri fired and gunned down a few others. Bullets were flying everywhere, splintering through the tree trunks, tearing off pieces of bloody flesh from soldiers. Russian soldiers fired gunshots that nailed several enemies down, but as the fierce skirmish raged on, the Germans fired their guns and shot multiple friendlies to pieces as they kept firing intense gunfire from their tree positions. Still, I fired and shot four enemies in return as Chernov gunned a couple others down and Dimitri shot a few more.

The fierce battle raged as we all kept firing at German soldiers from tree positions, braving their return fire as we kept fighting past the trees. A midst the skirmish, I fired and shot five more enemies while Dimitri gunned several others down with SVT fire. The Germans fired gun shots back and nailed several friendly soldiers, but as I gunned two more down by a tree, the Russians all fired their guns and shot numerous Germans in return. Chernov gunned down a few other enemies, then I struck two more with SMG rounds. The fighting went on even fiercer now as Russian soldiers fired gunshots that raked the enemy tree positions, cutting several Germans down, with Dimitri shooting a few others as well. However, as I fired my PPSH and shot six more enemies, the Germans fired intense rifle fire back and cut numerous Russians down as well.

We all kept moving and fighting past the trees, with me shooting two more Germans to the left as Dimitri gunned a few others down and Chernov shot a couple more soldiers. As the Russians blazed furious cover fire, I fired and shot four more at a couple trees straight ahead, then aimed and gunned two more down at the right. The Germans fired their guns and shot several more friendly soldiers, so Dimitri gunned down a couple others in return. As fierce fighting raged in the trees, I fired and shot four more enemies as the Russians fired their rifles and gunned multiple Germans to pieces, then I shot four more Germans with PPSH fire.

"Fight past the trees, Comrades!" Dimitri demanded.

I gunned down two more German soldiers at the right while Chernov shot another down from a tree. Dimitri and I kept firing immense cover fire at enemy tree positions, with me shooting four more enemies at a couple trees as the Russians fired gunshots that nailed several more Germans. As we moved past the trees, however, German soldiers fired intense rifle shots from their tree positions and gunned multiple Russians down, their bullets tearing off limbs and bloody flesh as the fighting raged on. In response I gunned two more down to the right and then kept blazing cover as the Russians fired shots that cut numerous Germans down in return, then I aimed and blazed rounds that struck two more soldiers as Dimitri fired and gunned several more enemies down. While evading fiery enemy bullets flying past me, I fired PPSH shots that nailed four more enemies as Chernov gunned a few others down.

The heated fighting went on in an increasingly fierce skirmish, with Russian and German soldiers firing intense gunfire at each other from tree positions, bullets tearing different soldiers down. A midst the battle, I fired my PPSH and shot five German soldiers as Dimitri gunned a few others down with his SVT rifle. German soldiers fired their guns and nailed several friendlies, but as Dimitri and I fired intense cover fire that raked and pinned enemy positions, the Russians fired gunshots back and cut numerous Germans down in return, with me shooting two more by a tree to the right. We all move forward even further, shooting down any resistance in the way.

"Shit, Kraut machine gun!" Dimitri stated.

Indeed, as we moved in more German soldiers appeared in the trees, firing their guns, but even more fearsome, was that a machine gun nest containing an MG 42 gun opened up, blazing Hellish rounds towards us. The machine gun blazed fire that ripped the trees to pieces in a fearsome display, bloodily cutting a few of the men down, while I ran past a couple trees, evading the terrifying rounds that chased after me.

"Destroy the position!" a Russian ordered.

"Chyort, shoot that svoloch!" another Russian said.

Escaping a trail of rounds and reaching a large tree, I gunned down two enemy soldiers before firing suppressing shots at the machine gun. Dimitri then fired shots that raked the gun before he was forced back into cover by machine gun rounds. I fired immense cover shots at enemy infantry positions before shooting at the machine gun again, though I was forced into cover when the gunner fired back. While the machine gun blazed furious suppression, other German soldiers fired their guns and shot several Russian soldiers as well, so in response, I fired tense PPSH fire and shot five Germans as Dimitri gunned a few others down.

The firefight went on with heated fury, with me firing cover at the machine gun and then shooting two more enemies, but the gunner kept my allies pinned. Dimitri proceeded to blaze rounds at the emplacement, which got me to take more focus on it as well. Taking out my scoped SVT, I took careful aim and fired a few shots that took down the gunner and his crewman, silencing the gun. As I then brandished my PPSH gun, the other Russians fired gun shots that cut several enemy soldiers down, clearing our way to move up.

"Keep moving, Comrades!" Dimitri ordered.

We moved further in the forest, encountering more German soldiers in the trees, along with several entrenched positions, and all the enemies were firing immense gunfire towards us, shooting multiple Russians to pieces. Taking position by a tree, I aimed and gunned down two enemies as Dimitri shot a few others, then I kept firing PPSH shots that cut six more Germans down. The Russians all took positions by trees and fired their guns, shooting numerous Germans with hails of gunfire in the vicious skirmish. Still the German soldiers kept blazing shots at our troops, so as Dimitri blazed cover, I fired and shot up an entrenched position before shooting two more soldiers, then Chernov gunned a couple others down as well, and the firefight went on.

We all kept fighting fiercely in the forest, with Dimitri and I firing gun shots that cut multiple Germans down, though enemy gunfire blazed back and struck several friendlies in return. As I evaded some volleys of gunfire, I aimed and gunned two enemies down as Dimitri fired and shot several more Germans, then I kept firing PPSH fire and shot five more enemies. The Russians kept firing intense cover shots, so I kept firing and shooting a couple more entrenched positions to pieces, eliminating them as Chernov gunned a few others down as well. While the Germans fired gun shots that cut several more friendlies down, Dimitri shot a few more enemies as I fired and shot five other Germans, then I shot up another entrenched position. Dimitri and Chernov then blazed cover as I gunned two more enemies down by a tree while the Russians fired their rifles and shot multiple Germans.

German soldiers kept firing rifle shots that cut numerous Russians down and the vicious skirmish went on, with me shooting two more Germans while Chernov gunned a couple others down, then Dimitri fired and shot several more enemy soldiers. I kept firing more PPSH fire, shooting six more German soldiers in the trees, before aiming and gunning two more enemies down to the right. German soldiers fired gunshots back and nailed multiple Russians to pieces, but I kept firing and shooting a couple more entrenched positions to shreds, taking them out, then I gunned down two more enemies as Dimitri shot a few others. As Chernov gunned down a sniper in a tree, I fired and shot five more enemies and as they braved incoming fire, fellow Russian soldiers fired their guns and shot numerous Germans as well, then I gunned two more down... The enemy defenses were beginning to weaken.

"I'll send you Kraut bastards to Hell!" a Russian said to the enemy.

"Die, you animal!" another Russian soldier shouted.

We all kept firing our guns until the last of the Germans were shots down, and we continued to move through the forest. The rest of the Russian force followed my lead as Dimitri and I shot down several more Germans that came at us... Right up until we came to an area in the forest that possessed two different enemy machine gun emplacements before us, opening up and blazing hails of fiery rounds that rained down on us, cutting multiple Russians to bloody pieces. As other friendly troops took cover by the trees on our side, Dimitri and I fired gunshots at the enemy positions to cover them, with me shooting four German soldiers at a position.

"Shit, enemy machine guns and infantry!" a Russian said.

"Fire on them," I ordered, "Take them out!"

The two machine guns kept firing powerful rounds that gunned more friendlies down, the bullets tearing off limbs and bloody flesh pieces. As the German machine guns kept blazing fire that suppressed and pinned down my men, German soldiers also fired their guns and shot multiple Russians as well. I kept firing at the machine gun emplacements until I was forced back into cover by their return fire, so I then fired on infantry positions and shot four German soldiers. Dimitri blazed cover as I gunned down two more soldiers to the right and then shot another two enemies at the left, just before taking out my SVT rifle while Dimitri shot up several enemy soldiers. I then took aim at the left machine gun, evading a barrage of bullets before shooting down the gunner. I then re brandished my PPSH and shot four more Germans as Chernov gunned a couple others down, then I shot two more by a tree.

However, the other gun kept blazing rounds that put me back behind the tree, and just to make things worse, another crewman got back on the left gun and started firing. Russian soldiers kept firing intense cover fire at enemy positions, shooting several enemies, but the Germans fired gunshots back and shot numerous friendlies as well. As I gunned two more Germans down by a tree, Dimitri blazed cover, allowing me to take out my SVT rifle, aim it at the right machine gun and fire several rounds that shot up the gunner and his crewman. I then shot four more Germans with my PPSH before being driven back into cover by the left machine gun rounds, where I took out my SVT again. Dimitri gunned a couple others down as I took careful aim, and finally shot the last gunner.

"Emplacements are eliminated," Dimitri stated, "Good work, Viktor... Everyone move up!"

Taking out my PPSH again, Dimitri and I fired gunshot that nailed multiple enemies as Russian soldiers fired hails of fire that cut numerous Germans to pieces just as Chernov shot a sniper by a tree. We all moved forward past the trees until we came to another German defense... A light one, just a simple trench line in the forest.

"Eradicate those rats from the trench," I ordered, "Raze and burn those bastards!"

We all took position in the trees and fired our guns at the trench line, pinning down some enemy troops. Russian gunshots nailed several enemies, but soon enough, the German riflemen lining the trench fired hails of gunfire back and shot numerous Russians in return. I fired my PPSH and shot five German soldiers as Dimitri gunned several others down and Chernov shooting a few others. Dimitri and I kept firing intense cover shots that raked the enemy trench, allowing the Russians to fire gunshots from their tree positions and shoot several enemies down. As the vicious fighting went on, with Chernov gunning a couple snipers down and Dimitri shooting a few more soldiers, I kept firing PPSH shots that gunned six more Germans down, and German resistance began to dwindle. Still, the Germans fired fiery gunshots back and shot multiple friendlies down, but as Dimitri and I fired cover shots that raked and pinned the enemy trench, Russian soldiers kept firing their guns and they shot numerous enemies as well.

The fighting kept up with heated fierceness, and soon enough, we cleared away the enemy forces in the trench, and we could move up... Shortly, as we kept fighting past the trees, we found just what we were looking for, the village where we would meet up with Vylkalev.

"There's the village," Dimitri stated, "Let's get over there, Comrades!"

I fired my PPSH and shot multiple enemy soldiers on the edge of the forest. Two German soldiers charged at me with bayonets, but I deflected their attacks and slashed them down with my knife. With my troops following, I lead them to emerge from the forest and to the outskirts of the village itself.

Immediately, German soldiers appeared in the windows of the houses on the outskirts, firing their guns and shooting numerous Russians to pieces. A vicious battle ensued, with German soldiers firing immense gunfire from the houses, fences and lawns of the village outskirts, while Russian soldiers under my lead charged towards the settlement, firing their guns back at the German defenses, with numerous soldiers on both sides being shot down. A midst the fierce fighting, I fired my PPSH and shot multiple Germans in the houses and lawns, while Dimitri fired his SVT and gunned several enemies down as well. I kept firing PPSH shots and gunning numerous other enemies down in the outskirts with Russian soldiers firing their guns and shooting multiple Germans as well.

With the fierce battle raging, I fired PPSH shots that raked the enemy house positions on the outskirts, gunning multiple soldiers down. As Dimitri and Chernov gunned several other soldiers down, I took out my SVT rifle and fired shots at the houses, nailing one soldier. I kept firing SVT fire, shooting two soldiers in one window and then gunning another down in a different window to the left. As the Germans fired shots the gunned numerous friendlies down, I shot two more soldiers in a house while Dimitri and Chernov gunned a few others down. Several other Russians were nailed by enemy fire, but I gunned another soldier down in a house window and then shot another enemy in a different window. A machine gun fired from a window, but I aimed and shot the gunner, then the Russians all fired gunshots that cut numerous enemies down while I wielded my PPSH and fired it at German positions.

German soldiers kept firing intense gunshots from the houses and lawns, shooting multiple Russians to pieces, and I responded by firing PPSH fire that cut six more Germans down. The fighting kept up with great intensity, as bullets were blazing everywhere in whizzing heat, tearing off pieces of flesh. However, as they braved the German gunfire blazing towards them, the Russians fired their guns and shot several Germans in the house windows, with me firing and shooting some enemies in the house windows as well. As I evaded enemy bullets, I gunned two more Germans down as Dimitri shot a few others, then I kept firing PPSH shots that nailed five more enemy soldiers. As I blazed cover at the houses, Russian soldiers fired more gunshots that cut numerous enemies down.

The Russians and Germans kept fighting and firing at each other in a ferocious manner. Soon, as I shot more Germans in the house windows and the lawns, the outskirts defense started diminishing... Well enough, As I kept firing and shooting more enemies while Russians blazed cover, the enemy forces in the outskirts was destroyed, allowing us to move further into the village itself.

"Move into the village," I ordered further, "Hunt them down!"

Dimitri and I moved into the village, with Chernov and my still strong Russian force following after. Once we came on the main pathway leading into the village, German soldiers on the other side appeared and fired their guns at us, shooting multiple Russians. Taking positions on our side of the street, we Russians fired our guns back while braving the German gunfire blazing right at us. As the vicious skirmish went on, I shot four enemy soldiers as Dimitri gunned down a few others, and the Russians fired intense gunfire that cut numerous Germans down.

The Russians and Germans kept firing gunshots at each other from their own sides of the main village pathway, with German soldiers shooting several friendlies from their side. I gunned two more Germans down as the Russians kept firing more rifle fire that nailed multiple enemies in return. With our two sides firing at each other on the pathway, I gunned down two others as Dimitri blazed rounds that struck a couple more, then I shot four more soldiers as Russian troops braved enemy fire to shoot several more enemies down.

"That's the end for you!" a Russian said to enemy soldiers.

"You were on the wrong side!" another Russian remarked to the enemy.

Eventually, the vicious battle on the main village pathway ended in our victory, and our forces could spread out to clear the village of German troops. As Chernov went with some Russians to take out enemies at the left, Dimitri and the other Russians followed me to eliminate Germans at the right side. Germans fired shots from the two windows of a building, but I fired my PPSH back and gunned them down in the windows as fellow Russians blazed cover, then I shot two more emerging from the door. I then fired and gunned two more Germans attacking from a second building window, but some Germans appeared on a lawn and fired, gunning a few Russians down. I fired my PPSH and shot four enemies to pieces as Dimitri blazed cover, then the other Russians shot the rest of them.

More German soldiers appeared on a pathway, firing shots that cut several friendlies down, so I fired and shot five of the enemy soldiers in return as the Russian soldiers fired gunshots that cut multiple enemies down. I then shot several enemies firing from building windows before gunning a couple more by a fence, then Dimitri shot a few more on a pathway. I gunned down two more in a building window, but then German soldiers on another pathway fired gunshots that cut several friendlies down. I fired back and shot a few of them as Dimitri gunned a couple others down, but some Germans fired shots from the windows of two buildings, shooting several friendlies. In response, I fired and shot four enemies in the first building as the Russians fired covering shots, then I fired more gunfire that shot four more Germans in the second building as Dimitri gunned a few others down.

The fighting heated fiercely as I shot five more Germans with PPSH fire, then the Russians all fired their guns and cut numerous enemies down in the village. Still the Germans held on, firing their rifles and shooting multiple Russians in return, so Dimitri fired and shot several enemies as Chernov gunned a few others down. While braving enemy fire, the Russians fire gunshots that raked enemy positions, then I fired and shot six more Germans in the building windows. Chernov gunned a couple more soldiers down as Dimitri fired and nailed a few others, then as the Russians fired their guns and cut several enemies down, I shot five more Germans in the village.

I gunned two more Germans down on a lawn before shooting a few others attacking from a pathway, then Dimitri shot a couple others as I fired PPSH shots that nailed four more coming out of a house. German soldiers lining a fence blazed rounds that struck a few friendlies down, but I fired back and shot two of the enemies by the fence while other Russians gunned down the remaining few. After gunning down two more Germans by a fence and then evading enemy fire coming from a right building, I fired back and shot the few enemies in the building windows, then Dimitri and I went over to regroup with Chernov, shooting any Germans in our way.

We Russians kept fighting fiercely in the village, braving intense enemy fire from the buildings and pathways and firing our guns to shoot any Germans in the village. As the Germans fired gunshots from the buildings and pathways that cut multiple Russians to pieces, I fired and shot several enemies on a lawn before firing and gunning a few others down in a left building's windows. Dimitri and Chernov both blazed cover that raked enemy positions, but German gunfire kept shooting several friendlies down. In response, I fired and shot a few others by a fence before gunning a couple down on another lawn. Some enemies fired gunshots from some houses and pathways, but I fired PPSH shots back that gunned several enemies down on a pathway before I shot a few others in a house. The Russians then fired immense rifle shots that cut numerous enemies down while I shot a couple more.

Soon enough, We had fought our way past most of the village, with us braving more enemy fire to move forward. While Russian soldiers fired more intense cover shots that raked and pinned enemy positions, I fired and shot multiple Germans in the houses and pathways. Dimitri gunned a few others down on a lawn as Chernov shot a couple more by a fence. Soon enough, we were towards the end of the village, with Germans firing desperate shots from their last positions. However, with immense Russian gunfire blazing at them, I fired my PPSH and shot most of the remaining enemies at this point in the village.

"We've driven those Kraut bastards off!" a Russian said.

"Come on, Viktor," Dimitri spoke to me, "Let's go find Vylkalev."

Moving to a building towards the center, Dimitri advised me to clear it out, so we could seize it as a vantage point. Entering the house and moving up to the second floor, suddenly however, a German soldier rushed me with his rifle. I blocked the rifle with my PPSH, but he swiped my gun out of my hands, so I grabbed hold of his rifle in return. The German and I wrestled fiercely for the rifle, both of us struggling hard to hold on in a furious fight. We both kept wrestling hard and fighting for the rifle, and as we struggled, the German punched my stomach. After we engaged in much hard, vicious wrestling, I pulled the rifle out of his hands... But he simply took out a knife and brought it down on me. Like a reflex, I grabbed his wrists, pushing the knife away from me, and then we kept wrestling fiercely. Eventually, after a very hard struggle, I noticed a grenade in his belt, so I punched my opponent before pulling the pin on the grenade and then threw him down the flight of stairs... And the grenade blast did the rest.

Going back downstairs and exiting the house, I found Dimitri waiting outside, so we continued onward. Dimitri and I moved down a pathway, shooting several Germans in our way until we suddenly found a sight of relief... Russian soldiers appeared at the other side of the village, some soldiers firing rifles while another Russian came in with a ROKS flamethrower towards a house with enemy fire blazing from it. Once in position, the operator spewed flames that sprayed all over the house engulfing it in fire... And with the position silenced through burning, several Germans came out, running frantically from the flames that engulfed them. As the ROKS flamethrower operator kept spraying flames at nearby targets, another sight came in that gave me relief, when an M5 half track rolled up and the machine gunner sprayed rounds at enemy positions... The gunner revealing to be Vylkalev.

"Mikhail!" I stated.

Dimitri, Chernov and I ran over to the Russian half track to greet the Lieutenant, who kept spraying machine gun rounds at enemy forces. He disembarked from the gun to return our greeting.

"Sergeant Reznov," Vylkalev spoke, "I see you've made substantial progress."

"More or less, Comrade Vylkalev." I replied.

"Let's clear this path," Vylkalev said, "Take full control of this village."

With the rest of the Russian forces we came on the last of the main pathway through the village... And on the other side, we found German soldiers on the other side, firing immense gunfire at us that shot numerous Russians. As vicious fighting kept up, I fired PPSH shots that cut six enemies down while the Russians positioned themselves on our side of the pathway and fired gunshots back at the enemy side, while still braving intense German gunfire. With the two sides firing immense rifle shots at each others' sides on the main pathway, multiple soldiers were cut down, bullets tearing off bloody flesh and limbs. While Vylkalev blazed cover, I gunned two others down as Dimitri and Chernov shot a few others, and as the Germans kept firing desperate rifle shots, the Russians fired back and pinned some enemies down. Eventually, German resistance began to dwindle, and as I fired and shot five more enemies as Dimitri gunned a couple others down, the Russians fired their rifles and nailed numerous enemies to pieces... After much more fighting, we cleared away the enemy resistance inside the village.

"The village is secure!" a Russian stated.

"It's not over yet," Vylkalev stated, "They'll be making a counter attack for this village... Everyone get in position and hold them off when they arrive!"

"Come on, Viktor." Dimitri said.

Taking heed with this, all the Russian soldiers spread out to different positions at houses and fences, just waiting for the eventual attack by the Germans. Dimitri and I went into the building towards the center of the small village overlooking the battlefield, while Vylkalev situated his half track towards the village edge with Chernov... Soon enough, German forces started appearing around the village.

"Here they come!" a Russian stated.

"Kill all these bastards!" another Russian ordered.

The Germans attacked all around, blazing immense gunfire with riflemen charging in and firing their guns as machine gunners blazed cover for them from behind. A vicious battle began as Russian soldiers all around the village fired gunshots that cut numerous Germans to pieces, while still firing shots that raked enemy positions. At the top floor of our two story house, Dimitri manned a mounted DP gun at a window and fired suppressing shots at enemy forces while I fired hails of PPSH fire out the window at German forces as well. As I shot multiple enemies with Dimitri gunning several others down, Vylkalev kept blazing suppression with his machine gun while Chernov took shots at snipers. Once I finished up a round drum of my PPSH, I took out my SVT rifle and started firing it at enemy troops, shooting numerous enemies with the rifle as they came in from all around the settlement.

Russians troops all around the village kept firing immense gunfire at the surrounding German forces, cutting numerous enemies down with bullets tearing off limbs and pieces of gory flesh. Still, German soldiers kept firing gunshots as well and shooting multiple friendly soldiers in return and the bitter fight for the village just got even fiercer as the Russians kept firing their guns and cutting numerous Germans to pieces. I fired my SVT and shot six different enemies while Dimitri blazed furious suppression with his mounted DP gun, shooting several enemies down hard enough as bullets tore off their limbs. Vylkalev also fired his mounted machine gun from his half track, raking and pinning enemy positions fiercely as Chernov gunned a few other Germans down. German soldiers fired back and gunned several friendlies down, but as I shot five more enemies with my SVT and Dimitri gunned a few more down with his DP gun, Russian troops kept firing rifle shots that cut multiple enemies down.

"I'll burn you bastards!" a Russian said, firing his gun.

German forces all around just kept coming at us, with Russian soldiers fighting even harder to hold them off now, firing more intense hails of gunfire at the incoming waves of enemies. As the Russians kept fighting, firing their guns from their positions in houses and fences at the edges of the village at German troops, Dimitri and I kept firing cover shots from our second story center house, with me providing sniper fire as Dimitri blazed suppression with his DP gun. I aimed and gunned two enemies down as Dimitri shot a few others, while I kept firing shots at enemy positions. On the ground, Chernov blazed rounds that struck a couple others down as Vylkalev fired his machine gun and raked a few more positions to shreds. After some hard fighting, I fired SVT fire and shot four more Germans as the Russians all around kept firing rifle shots that raked enemy troops and gunned multiple Germans down, then I aimed and shot two more as Dimitri fired and gunned down several more Germans.

As we kept fighting hard, I started to see the German advance starting to dwindle, so we stepped up our defense to drive them off for good. As I gunned multiple Germans down with my SVT, enemy troops fired and shot numerous friendlies as well. Dimitri and Vylkalev kept blazing machine gun fire that fended them off, and with that, I took out and reloaded my PPSH and fired it out the window, shooting numerous enemies. The Russians all kept firing their rifles and gunning multiple enemies down... And soon enough, the Germans were retreating.

"That's it," a Russian said, "Run, you svoloches!"

We kept firing until the Germans were all pulled back and gone... Immediately, Vylkalev had called Dimitri and I over to him to discuss our next move. The two of us exited the building and walked over to his half track to speak.

"Reznov, the German camp," Vylkalev spoke, "It's just a short distance to the North West... I'll be transporting you there in twenty minutes, so hurry up and get your men in those uniforms."

"Yes, Comrade Vylkalev," I responded, then turned to Dimitri and several others, "Dimitri, Chernov, Kilikov, Chishikov, Grishkenkov, find some German uniforms and get in them... We'll be leaving in twenty minutes."

* * *

As I just finished fastening on my new belt, I looked for a brief moment at the German uniform I was wearing, a regular M40 tunic and trousers with the standard belt and harnesses, though I kept my sleeves rolled to my elbows and my collar undone, exposing my undershirt.

"Viktor." Dimitri said, getting my attention. My friend was holding a German Stahlhelm, which he then tossed to me. I caught the helmet and placed it right on my head, and I finally felt ready to move on.

Dimitri, along with Chernov, Kilikov, Chishikov and Grishenkov were already in their German uniforms, and we all started walking over towards the truck where Vylkalev was driving.

"I wonder if you feel at home in that uniform, Kiril?" one of the squad said rather snarkily to Chernov, which made him feel a bit uncomfortable as a result.

"That's enough." I spoke sternly to the offender, and we kept walking closer.

Once reaching the vehicle, Dimitri, Chernov and the others boarded the back as I got in the front passenger seat, next to the driver Vylkalev. Once we were all in, Vylkalev started up the truck and began driving it away from the village and down the road to the North West.

As we drove down the road, Vylkalev started speaking, "Reports say that there is intelligence at that location detailing some of the attack plans for their entire armies... From what was reported, men of the Asien Korps should be there... Hershing might also be present, so be careful not to cross his path. Those men in the back are all you'll get while you're in there, though I will be waiting near the outside, but other than that, you'll be on your own."

"That will be all I'll need." I responded.

"Then I'm hoping you can get them back to me alive. Search for the command post and look for any intelligence you find... I'll drop you off about half a mile away from the camp. Maintain absolute control, then get what we need and get out of there."

"They'll be fine with me."

Moments passed as we kept driving down the road, passing some trees. Eventually, we started driving on the grass through passageways in a nearby forest... And after some time, Vylkalev stopped the truck just by a dried river bank. With that, I proceeded to step out, with Dimitri, Chernov and my other squad mates following after.

"Watch out for any patrols here," Vylkalev said, "I'll be waiting for you... Good luck, Viktor."

With my squad following me, I nodded to Vylkalev and then I lead my men into the trees, aiming for the Nazi camp. We all walked through the forest, past the trees, and after a moments walking, we suddenly came upon a patrol of German soldiers off in the distance.

"Over here." I spoke and my squad and I went over to hide by some trees. As I watched the German soldiers walking in, I whisked Dimitri over to a small hill in the forest, and once we positioned ourselves there, we both took out scoped Mosin rifles and aimed at the incoming patrol.

"Aim for the officer."

I surveyed where every single soldier was, and then focused to have one, an officer, in my scope's cross hairs... With careful concentration, I fired and shot him down, resulting in the rest of their party frozen in a sudden panic. I kept reloading the breach and firing shots, gunning down each soldier with careful, yet quick skill, while Dimitri took time to gun down any who might get away while I was busy. I shot down one after the other, hunting each German as a Wolf hunting a rabbit. I shot at least seven before aiming at one trying to get away, gunning him down with icy serenity... With the squadron dispatched I emerged from the hill with Dimitri and regrouped with my squad.

Walking over to the dead enemy patrol, Chernov spoke to me, "I'm not sure that was necessary, Sergeant."

"They might have become suspicious if they saw us come out of nowhere," I answered, "Besides, it's one less of these animals that will have to be dealt with later."

"Hey look at this," Dimitri said, picking up a bundle of dead rabbits off an enemy corpse, "We have our excuse for the gunshots."

We proceeded to hide the bodies behind some bushes and, after this, we kept walking past the trees, with Dimitri carrying the bundle of rabbits, while I slung my PPSH over my back and carried my captured STG 44 rifle in my hands. We began to zigzag around the path to confuse any incoming enemies of where we were originating from, and soon, after some moments of walking through the forest, we came upon the edge of the forest, meeting another German patrol... This is where my fluency of the German language would be useful.

"Wir Schüssen gehört, was passiert ist? (We heard gunshots, what happened?)" one of the German soldiers asked.

"Wir waren auf der Jagd nur ein paar Kaninchen zum Abendessen. (We were just hunting some rabbits for dinner.)" I replied in German, with my best effort to maintain an accent as well.

Dimitri showed him the rabbits, prompting a response from the man, "Nun, gehen Sie voran und nehmen Sie es zurück zum Camp. (Well, go ahead and take it back to camp)." the German spoke, pointing to the encampment off in the distance.

"Ja, ich bin auf dem Weg jetzt gibt. (Yes, I'm heading there now)." I replied.

"Passieren hier Haben Sie erste Staffel sehen? (Did you see first squadron pass through here?) the German asked.

"...Ich sah sie wieder ein Abstand. (...I saw them a distance back.)" I responded, then spoke, "Sie wollten, dass ich Ihnen zu sagen, um gründlich den Südwesten statt überprüfen und bleiben dort, bis sie mit dir treffen. (They wanted me to tell you to thoroughly check the southwest instead, and remain there until they meet up with you.)"

"Gut... Wir bekommen dort zu bewegen. (Fine... We'll get moving there)." the German spoke, then he and his men started moving towards the direction I gave them.

I watched the Germans leave and then I lead my squad towards the camp in the distance. I had a bit of worry, as the Germans showed a genocidal attitude towards ethnic Russians like myself, and I wondered if we would blend in... We were white, like they were, so hopefully, they won't see past that.

We all walked up to and entered the camp, looking around to see German soldiers, some performing work and other chores around the camp while others were relaxing or doing some activity. Some were talking and inspecting their guns or playing cards. As we walked further into the camp, we could see some other actions occurring. I started to see Russian prisoners some of them being bullied and tortured by German soldiers... I even saw to the left that German soldiers were making a couple Soviets sit down and play one of our so called games.

"Sie reden nicht, Russki, Sie spielen! (You don't talk, Russki, you play!)" the German soldier next to them spoke sternly, loading a single bullet into the barrel of a Nagant revolver, spinning the cylinder and forcing the gun into the hand of the prisoner... Though there was a moment, the prisoner looked absolutely demoralized, and he quietly and slowly brought the barrel to his temple... Then a bullet came out as the trigger was pulled, the prisoner falling over to the ground.

I watched in anger as my fellow countrymen were being severely abused like this, but I kept my cool anyways, however difficult it was. To the right, there were a couple other Germans getting drunk on captured vodka with another performing a Kazatsky dance, mocking a couple prisoners in front of them.

We kept walking past the camp containing both Werhmacht but mostly Waffen SS soldiers, and as we made our way further, I became alarmed and had myself and Dimitri, Chernov and the others stay behind a tent, while I peered around to see the alarming sight... Hershing himself, with a cigarette in his mouth, was talking with a captured Soviet officer, a young woman with brown hair in a ponytail while SS soldiers walked near him.

That was when they came upon a group of eight captured Russian civilians, fearful of Hershing's terrifying presence. Just then, a second SS officer, with brown hair, a mustache and glasses handed Hershing a captured PPSH... Which, with a sadistic bloodthirsty grin, he aimed at the civilians before him, firing a hail of gunfire that bloodily cut down all of them, making sure to hit them in areas to increase their suffering. Even after they were all dead, he just kept shooting into their corpses with a smile and a slight chuckle to himself, though with a great deal of calm. As an SS soldier then poured gasoline on a couple captured Soviet soldiers, Hershing calmly turned back to the woman.

"Hm, this is a good weapon you have, Tanya," Hershing said, "Still an ironic occurrance that so many of your people are dying in spite of such things."

"You're work here won't go unpunished," this Tanya woman spoke, "Our leaders will assure you of that."

"Really... Look around you, girl," Hershing spoke, as German soldiers were savagely torturing Russian soldiers nearby, "Stalin has no interest in you, far too busy with his own position. Only your stubbornness is enhancing the suffering of your men... Well that, and the fact that you are in Hell, and I am the devil."

"I am a soldier of the Red Army," Tanya replied, "I will not cooperate... None of us will."

"Now, now, Slavyanka," Hershing continued, "You really believe your uncle Stalin cares for you... Well believe me instead, he could care less, he abandoned you, and even if you return to him, you'll still be of no interest."

"We are sons and daughters of Mother Russia," Tanya spoke defiantly, "Our country will not abandon us."

"If that's what you want to believe, you poor, naive, abandoned daughter," Hershing responded, "...No one is coming for any of you... So you will also face death here."

Hershing then ordered his men to take Tanya away then he turned privately to the bespectacled SS officer. With Tanya now gone, Hershing and the other officer walked closer towards my position stopping somewhat short of us at a table with a map but remaining in hearing distance.

"Das Gebäude da drüben, ich will vorsichtig Bewachung es (That building over there, I want careful guarding of it)," Hershing said in German to the officer, pointing to a small building a short distance away, "Senfgas ist eine sehr gefährliche Sache, Leischer... Kleine Überraschung für unsere Red Kameraden. (Mustard gas is a very dangerous thing, Leischer... Little surprise for our Red comrades)."

"Wo Sie planen, es zu verwenden? (Where do you plan on using it?)" Leischer asked.

"Diese Taschen hier waren sehr hartnäckig (These pockets here have been very stubborn)," Hershing said, pointing to the map, "Ein wesentlicher Artilleriebeschuss wird der Druck stark erhöhen... Dann wird der Schwefel eingesetzt werden, um sie zu übertönen. (A substantial artillery bombardment will highly increase the pressure... Then the sulfur will be deployed to drown them out)."

"...Aber wir haben Truppen in Positionen an diesen Taschen (...But we have troops in positions at those pockets)," Leischer stated with slight concern, "Wird nicht schlagen wir auch unsere eigenen Leute? (Won't we hit our own men as well?)"

"Well, yes," Hershing said, "...And we'll also hit theirs."

"...Ja, sir." Leischer responded and then he walked away.

Hershing proceeded to walk back towards a building, when he suddenly stopped and faced the couple Soviet soldiers doused in gasoline... Then with a smile, he took out his cigarette and flicked it at the two men, lighting them aflame, and Hershing watched with pleasure as they burned to death just before he walked away.

With the two men gone, I turned back to my squad and spoke, "We'll need to places charges in the building housing those chemicals. After that, Dimitri and I will head towards the command bunker and find our information."

"Anything else, Viktor?" Dimitri asked.

"I'm thinking about that," I replied, "Just try not to attract attention."

We all proceeded to emerge from the tent and walk over towards the building containing the supposed mustard gas, trying not to be suspicious in the process. Once reaching the rather sizable building, we checked to make sure no one was looking, and then Dimitri, Chernov and I entered while the other three kept watch, finding an abundance of crates and barrels.

Dimitri went over to one seemingly crate and peered open the lid, spotting canisters, "They're gas canisters," Dimitri spoke, "Must be what he was talking about."

"Well, that's enough for me," I said, turning to Chernov, "Chernov, place a charge in one of the crates."

"But wouldn't the gas spread through the camp?"

"Do it, Chernov." I repeated sternly.

Though with some very short hesitance, Chernov began setting up a charge, while I took one and primed it inside the crate Dimitri looked in. Once we finished priming the charges, we exited the building. We all walked through the camp past the enemy soldiers. However, I then saw almost all the Russian prisoners in the camp that I could see being marched to a couple larger houses, which I guessed was the prisoner section in the camp.

However, in a shed next to the houses, I heard what sounded like a slap, followed by a young woman's voice speaking the words, "Sobaki, mudak!" a voice I recognized.

"Stay just outside the shed." I spoke to my squad as I then walked into the doorway, indeed finding the young Soviet officer, Tanya, tied to a pole, a guard nearby shouting at her as a response to the insult she hurled.

"Halt den mund, du schlampe! (Shut up, you bitch!)" the guard said, just before slapping her again.

I immediately walked up and spoke, "Oberst Hershing will den gefangenen. (Colonel Hershing wants the prisoner.)"

"Worüber redest du? Er hatte sie gerade. (What are you talking about? He just had her.)" the guard questioned.

"Persönliche Gründe. (Personal reasons.)" I answered.

Instead, becoming suspicious, the guard asked, "...Was ist deine nummer? (What's your number?)"

Feeling this would go nowhere, I immediately drew my knife, rushed up just a short distance and stabbed the guard furiously in the stomach, which left Tanya surprised. I then forced him to the ground, covering his mouth with my hand to eliminate any screams, then stabbed him in the neck, finishing him.

With that, I went over to Tanya, and brought the knife to her binds, causing her to ask, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm raiding this camp," I responded, "...Do you know where the command post is here?"

"You're Russian?" Tanya asked.

"Are you in charge of the prisoners here?"

"Da... Sergeant Tanya Makarova."

"I am Reznov, Viktor."

I just finished cutting her binds when she spoke, "...Wait... You're _the_ Viktor Reznov, the one who assassinated Heinrich Amsel?"

"The one who assisted in assassinating him," I corrected, "...Dimitri Petrenko is who gets the credit."

"He is here too," Tanya said, a bit jubilant, "You're both legends all around here."

"Can you lead me to the command post, do you know where it is?"

"Of course I can... Just lead me to it."

With that, I proceeded to escort Tanya out of the shed, holding her by her arm to create the illusion of her still a prisoner. With the other five still following me, I walked Tanya through the camp, walking over towards the directions she was giving me, revealing the command post as a concrete bunker. We all walked over to the bunker and I had Dimitri following me in while ordering the rest of my squad to stay and guard the entrance.

I saw that Germans were dragging several Russian prisoners over near the bunker, and I knew that meant they were being executed. As sad as it was, I would at least be able to use the sounds to drown out what I was about to do as we entered the bunker.

Once inside, Dimitri picked an MP 40 off the table and handed it to Tanya, then we opened the steel door to walk downstairs to the basement. There, we saw what looked to be a control room, with tables and filing cabinets, as well as a couple documents on the tables, along with German soldiers and officers... And immediately as we walked in, our guns drawn, along with seeing Tanya armed, the Germans became alarmed and drew their guns as well.

"Attack!" I shouted, just as I heard the executions occur outside.

Dimitri, Tanya and I all fired our guns, shooting down a few enemies, while others took cover and fired their guns. Evading shots, I fired my PPSH, shooting three enemies while Dimitri kicked a table over for him and Tanya to use for cover, then he shot a few more enemies. I kept firing shots that raked the control room to pieces, and though German soldiers fired shots back, we just dodged them and then I fired cover shots for Tanya to shoot a couple more enemies. The remaining Germans fired desperately at us, but as Dimitri and Tanya blazed cover, I gunned down the last two enemies, clearing the room.

"Search the room." I ordered.

We all began looking around, searching for whatever we could find to be useful to the Red Army. It only took a couple moments until Tanya found some documents relating to some of the Germans' battle plans... But as I went through a filing cabinet, I suddenly found a spot that looked strangely suspicious... A hidden compartment... I opened the compartment and found something I found interesting, a journal with the Asien Korps symbol.

"What did you find?" Dimitri asked.

"...A journal," I answered, "Maybe it details what Hershing's objectives."

"Well, let's get both of these out of here." Dimitri said, placing both the battle plans and the journal into his pack, and then we walked out of the bunker, making sure to take Tanya's gun once we were outside.

Regrouping with Chernov and the other three, I looked around, then suddenly eying a small house... And I think I knew who was in that house... Strangely, I felt he knew I was here... I turned to Chernov and spoke, "Chernov, take Tanya and the others, and get to the prisoners' area, get them all out... Take this pack as well."

"You can't be serious." one of the squad spoke as I handed Chernov the pack containing the intelligence."

"We're all getting out of here... Dimitri, you're with me, there's something I want to deal with before we leave."

"Are you sure about this, Viktor?" Dimitri asked with a rather empathetic tone.

"...Very." I responded.

While Chernov and the others escorted Tanya over towards the prisoner sector, Dimitri followed me as I walked over to the small house, slowly walking inside the building to find an empty room, then walking even slower and quieter towards a door that was only half way shut... It was at this point that I drew my personal sidearm, a Smith and Wesson model 27, a gun I got my hands on sometime before I enlisted, and then I approached the door. I slowly pushed the door the rest of the way open, and I saw a man sitting in his chair at his desk, all facing away from us... I already knew it was Hershing.

As Dimitri brandished his Tokarev, I walked up behind Hershing, stopping just behind him as I aimed the model 27 pistol at the back of his head... But I already had the SS officer's smiling attention.

"Well, well, Viktor," Hershing spoke, coolly keeping his head faced away from us as I concentrated my gun on the back of his head, but I could tell he was smiling, "Come to visit me have you... Something you want?"

"You're a monster!" Dimitri said angrily at Hershing with clear despair while he aimed his own pistol, which I could tell was over the death of Kamarov, but Hershing just smirked at that.

"Oh, you have no idea, boy," Hershing said, speaking through out with a calm and, "I may be a bad man, but they're the more successful men, and honestly, it's more fun."

"I'm going to enjoy watching you die." I said very firmly to him, cocking my pistol.

Hershing just remained fearlessly calm, sitting there facing his head away with a smile... Suddenly though, I heard the sound of a gun click, so I turned my head to see behind me, three German soldiers aiming their guns at me from behind. When I looked back at Hershing I saw him slightly turn his head to his side, his eyes focused on me.

"...I don't think so." Hershing said with a confident smile.

That was when the SS officer's guards seized my arms from behind and brought me into the next door room, doing the same with Dimitri and then placing us both in separate chairs in front of a desk, all while Hershing himself followed after into the room with us.

"So, Viktor," Hershing said as he walked into the room, "Missed me already have you... So much you had to come find me again," Hershing then walked over to me as I sat in my chair, and with a devious smile, he placed his hand on my cheek, but I stoically refused to look at him, "...Well, I'll admit, I've been looking forward to seeing you again myself, you've been on my mind lately."

As Hershing sat down in the chair at his desk, opposite of me and Dimitri, I asked, "...Why?"

"I just recently came back from a tour in Africa," Hershing answered, "And it was a bit of an interesting trip."

"...How so?" I asked.

"I met someone with your resilience, that's all... But enough of that, I'd like to know just how you've been doing."

"What exactly do you want to know?"

"Everyone, they call you a 'Wolf', Viktor," Hershing spoke with calm, yet sinister cool, "Why is that? Is it because of your rather illustrious service for the Red Army, and how you hunt Hitler's men as if they were rabbits?"

"Illustrious service?" I wondered.

"Well, of course," Hershing continued, "An Order of Lenin, and numerous commendations for bravery in the field... But that's not all, am I being correct so far, Viktor."

"So what? You're Fuhrer still thinks I'm inferior."

"And he's absolutely right... You see, your Russian kind are nothing more than savages, uncivilized animals incapable of rising above your incredibly inferior state... Even if you show bravery in the field."

"Enough!" I replied sternly, "Why are you so interested in me?"

"Well we are very similar, that's why," Hershing answered, "I've been said to have an interesting career myself. I've lead my Germans in battles across China, India and North Africa, the Middle East, and yes, even here in Russia... And yes, I've had commendations and awards, the Knight's Iron Cross... All just to establish Hitler's empire."

"You think I care about that?"

"Well, we have established ourselves as the superior, the saviors, out to clear away and punish all those inferior, infecting our great lebensraum... So why shouldn't you care, hm? ...But still, the Fuhrer, as ambitious as he is, he can be a bit delusional, unable to see past his overconfidence."

"...You don't agree with your own Fuhrer?"

"I agree we Germans are the greatest, and even the Chinese and Japanese have their own great strengths that warrant membership to our Reich, even the Fuhrer agrees. That's why you'll see that my soldiers are very helpful to them both, but since the Japanese wish the Chinese to be destroyed, then so be it... However, I also see peoples of India, and the Middle East, even Africa also warrant such membership."

"What are you talking about?"

"Simple societal ascension is what I'm talking of... The world should and will be divided and ruled by great powers. We Germans get Europe as well as North Africa, while Japan gets Asia... But what of the rest of Africa, who will rule it? The Italians, oh I don't think so... So who else, well, the Ethiopians are quite fit, as they were the continent's one country to remain independent... If you ask me, actually, I'll say that the Ethiopians are the 'Aryans and Masters of Africa', if you will."

"Why does Africa need a master... Why does anyone?"

"Oh, Viktor, so that we can rebuild this... World of simplicity... The thing is, however, you and your kind aren't able to rise with us, unable to see past your own delusions... So you have my sympathy."

"I have no delusions... I know what my fight is about."

"And what of your faithful comrades, do they know what this fight is really about? ...Are you knowledgeable on who and what Stalin is, and what he's having you die for?"

"Yes... A life without you, and your much more murderous clique."

"Well, at least you've figured me out... But, know that Stalin sees you as an instrument. He wants to use you, just like my Fuhrer does, except he makes you believe you'll return to a hero's welcome, making you play a pack leader to inspire others to be so called heroes... And yet completely unknowing that you'll only return to suffer in his own style of Communist society, that you're still just on his leash... You're Comrade Stalin is very seductive... But even so, I'll agree, he's better for you Russians than the Fuhrer and I will... As I said, we both are similar, killing others for our own pleasure, except I don't suffer your delusions."

"You know nothing! I'm nothing like you!" I said angrily through my teeth as I stood up with my hands placed firmly on the SS officer's desk.

"Well, I still know more than you think," Hershing said calmly, standing back up with a smile, "You're soldier, a musician, a husband and father even... My own wife would find such a thing rather romantic... But still, that's all you're going to be."

"So, you're going to kill me?" I said with sardonic stoicism.

"I'm afraid so," Hershing said, coming over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder "...But promise me, while you're being walked out, you'll at least think about what I just told you... After all, Viktor, it's our little secret."

Hershing then left the room, leaving his two guards to take Dimitri and I by our arms and force us out to the back of the building... I supposed this was it, for they had us standing there while our two adversaries loaded their guns. Dimitri and I looked at each other and then stared back at our executioners as they aimed their rifles at us... We prepared to meet our end.

...But then suddenly, there was a loud bang.

I guessed Chernov and Tanya seemed to be doing their part, and the explosion seemed to happen close enough that the ground rumbled just a little, but enough to make our executioners stumble a bit... That was our chance.

Dimitri and I rushed the two guards, Dimitri grabbing the rifle of the enemy and wrestling with him over the gun as I maneuvered around my opponent and wrapped my arms around his neck. As Dimitri fought his enemy, wrestling over the rifle, I furiously strangled my German from behind, and after intense, furious struggling, I snapped his neck just as Dimitri knocked his enemy away and then shot him with the rifle. Another German came in and rushed me with a knife, but as he swung it at me, I grabbed his arm and punched him in the stomach, and as i held onto his arm, I grabbed his knife and violently stabbed him in the neck a few times, finishing off our opponents.

With our executioners dispatched, I ran over to our weapons, slung my PPSH over my back while Dimitri tossed my STG 44 rifle over to me. As I wielded my STG 44, Dimitri brandished his own STG rifle and we proceeded to head out back to the rest of our squad.

"Come, Dimitri," I said, "Let us find our Comrades!"

We rushed out towards the rest of the camp to find our men, and it sounded as absolute chaos was occurring, bullets and grenade explosions sounding off, and I also saw German soldiers in positions firing their guns at their enemies, I assumed to be the prisoners.

Dimitri and I hid behind a tent as a few German soldiers came in, running just by us. When the last one came, I slung my STG over my shoulder and then I rushed up and grabbed the enemy from behind. Holding the soldier from behind with my left arm wrapped over his throat, as he held onto his MP 40, I commanded the weapon and fired it at the enemy soldiers before me, gunning three of them down with my hostage's MP40. Once the other soldiers were dispatched, I broke my shield's neck and threw away the body, then I wielded my STG 44 and continued onward with Dimitri.

Taking cover by some crates, Dimitri and I encountered some attacking Waffen SS soldiers. Dimitri and I fired on them, taking a couple down, but the enemy soldiers fired back, driving us into cover. While braving enemy bullets, I fired back and shot two more enemies as Dimitri gunned a couple others down, then I dodged some more bullets to shoot the remaining enemy in our way.

"Let's move it, Viktor." Dimitri called.

We all kept running through the camp, gunning past different enemies in our way, right until we reached the side that we recognized as friendly, a great many of Russian prisoners, armed with captured German guns, were taking positions at one side of the camp, firing at Waffen SS troops in the camp before them, who all fired their guns back, and gunfire blazed everywhere in a vicious skirmish in the camp... I managed to spot my squad, lead by Tanya and Chernov, so Dimitri and I rushed over to them.

"Shit, this camp is a battlefield!" Dimitri said, firing his gun as he took position.

"Everyone, fight our way out!" I ordered furiously, "Raze these bastards to Hell!"

With the fierce fighting happening in the camp, Waffen SS soldiers faced us with determined opposition, so we all fought very furiously, many of the prisoners battling their enemies to avenge the torture and abuse they received. A midst the vicious battle, I fired my STG 44 and gunned six enemies down, then Dimitri shot several others with STG fire as I fired and nailed two SS troops by a crate. The Waffen SS troops fired volleys of intense gunshots and cut numerous friendlies down, so in return, I shot four enemies as Chernov gunned a few others down as well, then Dimitri shot a couple more SS soldiers. With my squad firing and shooting several more enemies, I fired intense cover shots that raked SS positions as Tanya gunned a few others down with her MP 40, then Chernov shot a couple more enemies. As the furious skirmish went on, the Russians all fired gunshots that cut multiple Waffen SS soldiers down, then they kept firing gunshots that raked enemy positions in the camp to pieces. I gunned two SS down by a crate, then as Dimitri shot a few more enemies, I shot two others by a tent. Tanya gunned down a couple more soldiers as I shot four more, then Dimitri fired and nailed several more enemies as Chernov gunned a few others down, then the squad fired shots that cut several SS to pieces as the other Russians fired intense cover. Still, the Waffen SS fired their guns furiously and shot multiple Russians while I gunned down another two.

The fiery battle raged on as Russian and Waffen SS soldiers all kept firing immense gunfire at each other, raking the others' positions with fiery gunshots. As gunfire blazed all over, whizzing and splintering through the crates. I aimed and shot two more enemies to the left as Dimitri gunned a few others down while Tanya blazed cover rounds, then I shot four more enemies by some crates and a tent. Chernov fired shots that nailed a couple more soldiers as Dimitri and Tanya gunned down a few other SS troops. Still, the SS troops fired immense shots that raked friendly positions, gunning numerous Russians to pieces in the fierce battle. After dodging some bullets, I gunned two more soldiers down to the left and then shot two others at the right while Chernov fired and nailed a few other soldiers. Dimitri and I fired intense gunfire that nailed multiple enemies and raked SS positions, and the Russian prisoners all kept fighting the Waffen SS troops in the camp, slowly gaining inch by inch. The squad fired cover shots that nailed several SS soldiers as I shot four more, then Dimitri gunned a couple others down. As the fierce fighting went on, the Russians all fired gunshots that cut numerous enemies down, with me shooting two more at the left and then, gunning one other down at the right, and the fierce battle in the camp raged even further.

"Chyort," Dimitri shouted, "Die, you bastards!"

I gunned two soldiers down by a tent as Dimitri shot a few other SS troops, then I fired and nailed four more enemies by some crates. As the SS troops kept defending their positions, we all moved slowly through the camp, shooting up as many enemy positions as we could. I fired immense shots that raked enemy positions, shooting multiple SS soldiers as Dimitri gunned a few others down, then the Russian prisoners all fired their guns and cut numerous enemies to pieces. Tanya aimed and gunned a couple others down as Chernov fired shots that nailed a few others, but SS soldiers fired their guns back and shot numerous Russians. After intense fighting, I shot four more enemies, and then Dimitri and I fired cover shots that raked enemy positions, but the SS soldiers fired gunshots that riddled through friendly positions as well. Chernov gunned a couple more soldiers down as Tanya shot a few more SS, then the Russians kept firing hails of gunfire that cut multiple enemies down. While dodging enemy bullets, I shot two enemies down by tent as Dimitri gunned a couple more down at the right, then I fired and nailed two more by some crates before aiming and shooting a sniper in the camp.

We all kept fighting fiercely to clear our way out of the camp, but the Waffen SS troops opposing us were more driven than their Wehrmacht counterparts, and thus put up a more dangerous resistance. Still, we all kept fighting our way out of the camp, slowly gaining ground and moving past former enemy positions to engage fresh new ones. I shot four enemies by a couple crates and a tent as the Russians all took positions and fired their guns on SS forces, then I fired and shot four more enemies by some crates while braving enemy bullets. Dimitri shot a few more enemies while Chernov gunned down a couple others, then the Russians all fired gunshots that raked positions and cut multiple enemies to pieces. I gunned down two SS by a tent while Tanya shot a couple others, then I fired and nailed two others by a couple crates. The SS soldiers all fired desperate volleys of gunshots that raked our positions, so I shot another two soldiers by a stack of crates, then as Dimitri and Chernov fired immense cover that raked enemy positions, Tanya gunned down a couple more SS troops. The battle raged on furiously, but our way in clearing out was getting much closer, so as Dimitri gunned a few more enemies down I fired and shot six SS soldiers, then the Russians all fired gunshots that cut numerous enemies down.

Eventually, after much hard fighting, we had cleared away the SS positions in the camp, getting towards the edge where we found some German trucks and a couple .251 half tracks... Which we could all use to escape.

"Everyone board these trucks," I shouted, "Chernov, get that half track started!"

All the Russians proceeded to enter the beds of the trucks, with some driving. However, suddenly, several Germans came in and attacked, shooting several friendlies, while one enemy with a flammenwerfer sprayed fire that engulfed a couple prisoners.

"Shit!" Dimitri said.

Immediately, I fired and gunned down a few soldiers as Dimitri shot a couple others, then I aimed and shot the flammenwerfer operator, detonating the pack and setting him and two other enemies near him aflame.

However, this was followed by a couple of German attack dogs rushing in, growling with menacing fierceness that hungered for the flesh of Russians. One rushed up towards a prisoner, but I quickly took aim and shot the dog down. But the other one came right at me, so I blazed a few frantic bullets that caused the dog to roll over and then quickly regain his footing before pouncing on top of me.

I struggled with the vicious animal, wrestling to keep his fangs from reaching my throat. After getting close to mauling me, I managed to grab the dog's head and throat and snap its neck. With my enemy dispatched, I got back up with my STG 44 and started running over towards one of the half tracks.

"Come, Dimitri!" I spoke.

With that, as the several Opel Blitz trucks filled with Russian prisoners sped off to escape from the camp, I entered the half track and manned the rear MG 42 machine gun while Dimitri aimed his STG rifle from the back. Chernov activated and drove the vehicle while the rest of my squad joined me in the back.

German soldiers immediately came in behind us, firing volleys, so I fired immense MG 42 shots and tore numerous enemies to pieces, the powerful machine gun bullets tearing off bloody limbs. After dispatching the soldiers, Chernov started driving the half track out of the camp.

We were off, making our way back to Vylkalev and the Soviet lines... But as soon as we made our way out of the camp, speeding as fast as we could down the pathway, I saw German cars filled with soldiers firing at us.

"Chyort, the svoloches are after us," Dimitri warned, "Take them down!"

As Dimitri fired shots with his STG rifle, I blazed my MG 42, raking the enemy cars as they kept pursuing us in a furious chase. I kept fending off pursuing enemies with the MG 42 as we sped down the pathways in the half track, shooting several soldiers out of a couple pursuing cars, while those remaining kept firing on us. As I damaged a couple cars with MG 42 round, I kept blazing shots that finally took out one car. Dimitri fired cover as I kept firing MG 42 shots that tore up and destroyed two more cars, while a couple others came in and their occupants fired on us. The German cars kept chasing after us in a fierce pursuit, with me firing at them with the MG 42, damaging them a little. Soon enough, I shot up and took out another car, and as Dimitri blazed cover, I fired the MG 42 and destroyed the last one as well... But another threat came in as a couple of half tracks.

Gunners on the half tracks blazed furious machine gun fire at our vehicle, so I fired back, starting a shootout in this fiery chase while we sped down the paths. With me and the enemy gunners firing at each others' half tracks, a massive shootout occurred, with me firing my MG 42 and damaging the German vehicles. After dodging some powerful bullets, I fired MG 42 rounds, braving enemy fire long enough to gun down and destroy the first half track... But the other one kept up pursuit. We all kept speeding down the road, exchanging fire with the enemy vehicle. Eventually, after a shootout, I fired enough MG 42 fire to destroy the last half track, setting it aflame, then we kept speeding down the path... Immediately after, we found a familiar face by a truck, Vylkalev.

"Reznov, what the Hell happened?!" Vylkalev demanded.

"I improvised," I responded, "I need to get these men to Soviet territory."

"Some of our forces have established a trench line a couple miles in that direction." Vylkalev said, pointing.

"Climb aboard." I said.

However, just as he started to do so, suddenly, a shell flew in and blasted away Vylkalev's nearby truck, and I looked over to spot a German Panther tank as the perpetrator.

"Chyort, Panther!" Dimitri warned, "Climb in, we need to leave!"

Vylkalev immediately jumped into our half track and then we began moving again, speeding off as fast as we could as the looming Panther chased after us like prey. I blazed rounds at the steel beast, trying to ward it off, though it was not fazed at all and kept up its determined pursuit, blazing machine gun rounds of its own. The Panther kept up the hunt as I tried my best to fend it off... But soon after a fierce chase, as we maneuvered around, the tank managed to get stuck in some trees, and we were free to speed off.

After just a few moments, we finally arrived at the Soviet trench line, where numerous Russian soldiers lined the trench, waiting for any German attacks as the arriving former prisoners joined them. Stopping our vehicle just behind it, the squad and I disembarked and joined the others in the trench.

"Waffen SS forces incoming!" a Russian noted.

All us Russians lining the trench aimed our guns at the terrain before us, just waiting for the enemy soldiers to come. As Vylkalev manned a Maxim 1910 machine gun, with Tanya's support, I aimed at the terrain, just as enemy forces arrived in Opel Blitz trucks just some distance away. Waffen SS troops all began departing and coming towards our trench line, blazing gunfire... So in response, as I took out and fired my PPSH, the line of Russian soldiers in the trench all fired their guns, and a vicious battle commenced.

"Shit," Dimitri said, "Kraut infantry incoming!"

With the Russian soldiers all firing hails of gunfire at the incoming SS troops, cutting numerous enemies to pieces with immense gunshots, I fired my PPSH and gunned five enemies down as the fierce battle raged. Waffen SS troops kept coming in, firing their guns and raking our trench with bullets, so we kept firing and shooting as many down as we could, with Vylkalev blazing rounds that pinned the enemy troops down with his Maxim gun. A midst the fierce fighting, Dimitri shot several enemies, then I fired PPSH shots and nailed six more SS while Chernov gunned a few others down. The line of Russians in the trench all kept firing their guns, shooting multiple SS soldiers in a ferocious skirmish to defend the trench line, and the Russians kept firing shots that raked and pinned enemy troops. Dimitri and Chernov fired shots that gunned several enemies down, then I shot another five SS with PPSH shots. However, the Waffen SS troops pressed on with their assault, firing their guns and shooting multiple friendly soldiers. Still, we all kept fighting fiercely, holding back the waves of SS with immense gunshots. I gunned two enemies down to the left as Dimitri shot a few more incoming soldiers, then I fired and nailed another two at the right as Chernov shot a couple other soldiers. Russian soldiers fired gunshots back and gunned multiple enemies to pieces, bullets tearing off their limbs, but the SS troops fired back and shot several friendlies in return.

The battle raged on as the line Russian soldiers all fired their guns, raking and pinning incoming Waffen SS troops with fiery aggression. With bullets flying everywhere, creating intense heat, I kept fighting furiously, firing PPSH shots that cut six enemies down, then Dimitri shot a few others while Vylkalev blazed furious machine gun rounds that tore apart several SS troops. After gunning two more enemies down, the Russians fired immense gunfire and cut numerous enemies to pieces, then I shot five SS with PPSH fire as Chernov gunned a couple others down and Dimitri shot a few more SS. The enemy soldiers pressed on their determined assault, seeking vengeance for the destruction of their camp... But I fought just as angrily against these Waffen SS soldiers, holding the line with even greater determination. I gunned down two more SS at the right as Dimitri and Chernov fired and shot several other soldiers, then I aimed and shot two others at the left. With SS bullets raining all over us, Vylkalev blazed his Maxim gun and pinned several enemies down, then I fired my PPSH and shot five more SS as Dimitri gunned a few more down. The Russians all fired their guns and shot multiple SS troops, and I then gunned two others down at the right while still firing cover shots that raked enemy troops while Dimitri shot several others as well.

"Keep fighting, Comrades," Dimitri said, "Hold this trench!"

"Burn every last one of them," I shouted, "Drive these savage animals to Hell!"

As I fired and shot multiple enemies, the line of Russians fired their guns and cut numerous enemies to bloody pieces, defending this trench line as best they could as this fierce battle raged. Dimitri and I fired immense covering fire that riddled and shot up charging SS troops while Vylkalev tore at and pinned others with his Maxim machine gun. Chernov gunned a few more enemies down as Dimitri shot several other SS with PPSH fire. I fired and shot five more enemies as the fierce skirmish raged on, but the SS soldiers fired their guns as they charged, gunning multiple friendly soldiers down in the trench. Vylkalev kept blazing his machine gun, doing what he could to cover us as the Russians all fired gunshots to defend our line, shooting up enemy waves before us. With Dimitri shooting a few other soldiers, I fired intense PPSH shots and nailed six more enemies, then Chernov shot a couple other SS troops as the Russians all fired immense cover fire that raked enemy troops. The attacking SS fired their guns and shot up our trench line relentlessly, but we all kept fighting just as furiously. With Dimitri and Chernov firing intense cover fire, I shot five more soldiers as the Russians fired immense hails of gunfire that gunned numerous enemies down.

The battle raged on as Dimitri and I fired gunshots that cut numerous SS soldiers down, and the line of Russians all kept firing shots that ripped and pinned enemy troops. Still the SS forces kept coming in, blazing gunfire that raked our trench line. As I fired and shot six enemies, Dimitri shot several others while the Russians all fired intense gunfire that cut numerous SS to pieces, their bullets shredding off limbs. The vicious skirmish went on with heated aggression, with Vylkalev blazing his machine gun and tearing several enemies down while Chernov fired and shot a few other SS. As enemy soldiers kept advancing with determined drive, Dimitri gunned a few of the enemy soldiers down, then I shot five more soldiers with PPSH fire. SS soldiers kept charging, blazing their guns and raking our trench line, but we all kept fighting furiously to hold them off. As Chernov gunned a couple more enemies down, I shot five SS soldiers while Dimitri shot a few other enemy troops. The battle raged viciously, but we kept holding our ground, with the line of Russians all firing immense gunfire that cut multiple enemies to bloody pieces. As Vylkalev blazed cover with his machine gun, I fired and shot numerous enemies with PPSH fire, and the battle kept up.

"Shit," Dimitri said, "Defend this trench, Comrades!"

As the fierce battle raged, with Russian soldiers firing their guns and defending the trench line, I began seeing that the enemy attack was dwindling... But a larger threat began coming for us towards the end when, suddenly, a Panzer II rolled in closer towards the trench, and from projectors on its front, it blazed a terrifying spray of flames at the trench like a dragon breathing fire, incinerating a few fellow defenders of the trench... And I knew I had to deal with this right away.

"Chyort, that svoloche is burning the trench," Dimitri stated, "Viktor, find a panzerschreck, demolish it!"

With that, I gunned several SS troops down and then rushed over to a foxhole that was unfortunately rather close to the flame tank. As I ran over to retrieve a launcher, the tank spewed flames at me. I dodged the fire and kept running to the foxhole as the Panzer kept spraying flames that chased after me. Luckily, I jumped in the foxhole and crawled over to the panzerschreck, picked it up and aimed at the Panzer as it began to aim its projector at me... And right as the flames came out, I fired a rocket that pierced the light armor of the tank, blasting it to smouldering pieces and ceasing the threat it posed.

But an even greater worry came as a shell soared in and blew apart a couple friendlies to bloody pieces. I looked over and saw that the Panther tank from before had reached its way to us, firing shells at the trench.

"Chyort, he followed us," Dimitri said, "Viktor, incinerate that bastard!"

"Panther tank," Chernov stated, "Sergeant Reznov, there's more rockets by Vylkalev, hurry and destroy it!"

With Dimitri firing intense cover shots that raked enemy troops, I fired PPSH shots that nailed multiple enemies, and after some hard fighting I rushed over near Vylkalev, evading shells that were fired from the Panther. While Vylkalev kept spraying machine gun rounds, I picked up more Panzerschreck shells near him, just as the enemy armor blasted away several friendlies. I just dodged another shell as I then aimed and sent a rocket that struck the front, just slightly damaging it. I loaded another rocket into the tube, but the Panther aimed for me, sending me on the run as it fired a shell that went off just near me... But it didn't faze me for too long, as I took careful aim, and just as the tank's gun aimed right at me, I fired another rocket, striking it on its side and blasting the tank to pieces.

"Yes, yes, Viktor," Dimitri exclaimed, "We're driving them back!"

"Send them all back to the Fatherland, men!" Vylkalev spoke.

After much hard fighting, the SS troops numbers began dwindling severely. I fired and shot numerous enemies as the Russians all fire and nailed multiple other SS soldiers in a hail of gunshots... Eventually, the Germans had enough, and all the remaining Waffen SS troops were retreating, running back across the terrain until they disappeared in the trees... Signalling our victory.

The triumphant Russian soldiers all cheered for their win, and though I remained calm with relief, I was still feeling satisfied. After feeling joy, a now grateful Tanya proceeded to walk over towards me.

"I owe you so much, Sergeant Reznov," Tanya spoke, "...I can't thank you enough."

Giving her a smile, I placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke, "You and your men just get some rest... I'm sure you've had a long day."

Tanya smiled and then walked over towards some former prisoners, checking on a wounded soldier. At this moment, I called Dimitri over as I walked to Vylkalev.

"Mikhail," I spoke, "...I think you'll be interested in this."

Dimitri handed me the journal containing the Asien Korps symbol, which I then gave to Vylkalev. He looked over the cover and then faced me with some optimism, speaking, "I'll see this with great interest."


	21. M-10: Final Push - Pt 1

_The initiative in their offensive has now broken... Now it is our turn to strike. With this counteroffensive, we will win a great victory here at Kursk, and finally eradicate the Nazis from our great lands, along with anyone else who stands in the way... Soon enough, we will carve our way into Germany, taking the fight to their land, their people... Their blood.  
_

 **'Final Push'**

 **Kursk, U.S.S.R.**

 **July 23, 1943**

 **Sgt. Viktor Reznov**

 **270th Rifle Division**

I walked through the camp, seeing everyone preparing for the great counter offensive we were about to undertake. Everyone stocked up their weapons, ammunition and supplies, wielding PPSH guns, SVT 40 rifles, Mosin rifles, DP 28 guns, and others preparing T-34 tanks. There were countless Russian soldiers gearing up, preparing for battle, building up their bravery and determination just as much as they built up their offenses... This gave me much pride and confidence.

Coming over to a tent, I found Dimitri standing at the entrance. I placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a proud smile, which seemed to fill up his confidence, then I walked into the tent as Dimitri went over to help Chernov and some others unload supplies from trucks. I found Vylkalev going over some work on a table, just as he turned to me, seeming a bit jubilant.

"Ah, Viktor," Vylkalev poke, having a hopeful smile on him as he shook my hand, "Come look, we've discovered a key feature of Hershing's operation in Russia." He then showed me some documents on a table, showing maps, paperwork and pictures.

"What have we found, my friend?" I asked.

"It's gold," Vylkalev answered, "Hershing is stealing golden bars."

"Golden bars?" I pondered.

"Yes... You see, he's managed to hijack a couple of trains and transport these large caches of gold secretly on the Trans Siberian railway. He's heading to Manchuria, likely to reunite his forces with the Japanese."

"It's great you've found this, Mikhail... So where are these trains?"

"Well, unfortunately, Hershing has already left in the first train, and he should be in Manchuria by now... Luckily for us, however, the second one is about to pass through here. If we can stop it, it could have a great effect on his work."

"What should I know about this train?"

"Well, it is going to pass through the rail line leading through the town to the West, which you already know is our target. While Hershing is protecting the first train, this one will be guarded by a Captain Leischer, Hershing's right hand... He's not as crazed as his superior, but he is just as ruthless, so be careful when confronting him."

I looked over the photo of Leischer, remembering how he was usually by Hershing's side. I looked over his face, seeing his brown hair, his mustache, his glasses... Then looked back up and spoke, "When should it arrive?"

"Some time later today," Vylkalev stated, "But let me worry about that. You focus on getting your men across the field and into that town, destroy the German trenches and defenses, clear away any supply buildings and take that town... We'll take the train together, Viktor."

"Yes... I'll meet you in the town."

However, Vylkalev then gently placed a hand on my shoulder as he then spoke, seeming rather somber, "...Listen, Viktor, I know that Yuri's death is hard, how you've lost your comrade... But we will pull through it. Just make sure you focus on your mission, and don't let any personal vendetta get in the way of that... But once we achieve what we need, then we can get our vengeance."

"My mission is vengeance, Comrade," I responded with a reassuring smile, "That's my motivation to achieve what we need."

"...Well, good luck, Viktor."

I then exited the tent, looking around to see fellow Soviets further prepared for the assault... And now I felt ever greater determination to lead.

* * *

A great battlefield lay before us, calm at times while at others, left tension, particularly when German artillery shells rained down before us... And I was looking to go right into it.

I stood before at the edge of the field with Dimitri by my side, with a PPSH in his hands. As I held my own PPSH, I then turned to see the vast numbers of Russian infantry, all armed with rifles and other guns while Chernov, who held an SVT 40 rifle, knelt by them. They all looked highly determined and prepared for the upcoming challenge, and so, feeling proud, I stood before them and gave some rousing encouragement.

"This our our great calling, men," I stated passionately to my fellow soldiers, "Here is where the Nazis will fall in Russia, where we will crush them with the might of our Red Army, and our glorious Soviet Russia... And as the Nazis watch their offensive fail, they will see that this war will end in their demise, as we will take the fight to their land, their people, their blood... And it is there where we will achieve our final victory, and our vengeance, just as what we will achieve here!"

Soon after, some T-34 tanks behind us fired shells at the enemy troops far off into the distance, and the enemy shelling of the field ceased... And that was our signal to move.

"Comrades... Charge!" I ordered.

With Dimitri and Chernov at my side, I started rushing into and across the field with all the others charging in behind me. We all moved with determination across this field, with countless Russian troops and some tanks following after us with just as much passion.

"Split apart and move in separately once we reach the trench lines!" I spoke.

The Russian troops kept moving with us across the field, braving mortar shells until we came over a mound, and that's where we encountered or first challenge, a German trench line, filled with soldiers lining the trench and aiming Gewehr and Kar 98k rifles, MP 40 SMGs and STG 44 assault rifles at us, just waiting to open fire... Well, I was going to brave that to take them on.

"There they are," Dimitri noted, "Attack them!"

We all charged the first trench line, and already, the line of German riflemen and machine gunners were firing hails of immense gunfire at our troops, cutting numerous Russians to bloody pieces as a vicious battle commenced, in which Dimitri and I bravely lead the others in.

"Raze these bastards," I said, firing my PPSH at the enemies, "Drive them to Hell!"

The line of Germans all kept firing intense gunfire at our charging troops, shooting multiple friendlies to bloody, gory pieces. Still, we kept charging forth, with many of us splitting into different groups to minimize the effects of the enemy gunfire. While evading gunshots that raked our advance, the Russians fired their rifles at the German trench, shooting pieces off with Dimitri and I firing cover shots at enemy points in the trench. Still, the Germans kept firing immense rife fire that shot numerous Russians, and then fired more gunshots that raked and pinned some others down. Eventually, my group reached a foxhole and we fired cover shots at the enemy trench from there so that the others could continue to advance. I fired my PPSH and shot five Germans in the trench before dodging some bullets that returned my way, then as Dimitri and Chernov blazed furious cover, I kept firing PPSH shots and nailed six more enemies within the trench. While braving the immense enemy gunshots, the Russians all charged, firing intense rifle shots that raked and pinned some German trench defenses, and as Dimitri and I fired intense cover, the Russians fired their guns and shot multiple enemies. I then shot five more in the trench as Dimitri and Chernov gunned several others down, and I kept firing shots that raked the enemy trench line.

The ferocious battle raged with great intensity as the Russians kept charging the trench, firing gunshots that raked the enemy defenses. Still, as we kept moving forth, with myself entering a closer foxhole, the Germans fired more rifle shots and machine gun fire that cut numerous more friendlies down, their bullets tearing off bloody limbs and flesh from some troops. I gunned two others down at the left as Dimitri shot a few other enemies, though the Germans fired shots back and drove us to cover before firing back at other Russians and pinning them down. I shot two more soldiers as Chernov gunned a couple others down, then I fired and nailed five others. Dimitri shot several more Germans as I shot a machine gunner and then gunned two more soldiers down on the right. Chernov shot a few other Germans and then blazed some cover shots as I fired PPSH shots that nailed five more Germans. Dimitri gunned a couple more soldiers down as I fired cover shots, but the Germans all fired rifle fire and cut multiple other Russians down. Chernov took cover as I shot two more enemies to the left, then I aimed and shot a machine gunner firing at us, then the Russians kept moving in to attack, firing their guns at the trench.

While the Germans kept blazing shots at us, we Russians kept slowly moving closer and closer, firing our own gunshots that pinned the Germans. I fired and shot multiple enemies in the trench and then moved to one of the foxholes very close to the trench, and I then kept firing shots that raked and pinned the trench defenses. While Dimitri and Chernov joined me, more Russians entered the foxholes very close to the enemy trench line, like mine. A machine gun fired at us, so I aimed and shot the gunner down, then the Russians in the foxholes fired intense rifle shots that nailed multiple enemies in the trench, then I shot five more Germans. Dimitri and Chernov gunned a few others down, but they were driven back into cover when a machine gun blazed back, then the Germans fired their guns and cut numerous friendlies to pieces, shooting limbs off and spilling blood into pools. Still, the Russians kept charging in, with friendlies in the foxholes firing intense gunshots at the trench to cover them. I shot six more enemies as Dimitri shot several others and Chernov gunned a few more down. The Germans tried to hold on, but as I shot another machine gunner, the Russians all fired rifle shots that gunned numerous enemies down, and the German defense dwindled, and in vicious fighting, we moved up even further.

"Chyort," a Russian soldier said, "Kill all these bastards!"

"Die, you animal!" another Russian said to the enemy troops.

Withstanding the desperate enemy gunfire, we all kept blazing shots at German soldiers in the trench, and after much hard fighting, we cleared away the enemy trench defenses, allowing us to move forward to the next objective.

"First trench is finished," Dimitri stated, "Move onto the next one."

Rejoining me at my side, Dimitri and Chernov followed me as I made my way down the field with all the other Russian soldiers following after... And immediately, quite shortly after destroying the first trench line, we came across some more grasslands filled with numerous different enemy positions filled with riflemen and machine guns.

"Shit, Kraut positions," Dimitri said, "Let's slice these bastards!"

"Comrades," I spoke, "Slaughter these savage beasts!"

Following my lead, the Russian soldiers rushed onto the grasslands, causing the enemy machine guns to blaze shots that razed and pinned while German infantry positions all fired intense gunfire that cut numerous friendlies down. Reaching cover, I fired PPSH shots that destroyed a couple infantry positions, then fired more gunfire that nailed five other enemies. Dimitri shot a few enemies as Chernov gunned a couple others down, and as I dodged bullets, I shot up a machine gun nest. The Russians fired their rifles and shot multiple enemies as Dimitri aimed and nailed a couple more Germans, then I shot up another infantry position before aiming and shooting a machine gun nest to pieces. However, the Germans fired more intense gunfire back at us, cutting multiple Russians to shreds. While dodging soaring bullets, I gunned down two more enemies at the right before shooting up and taking out an infantry position, then Dimitri shot a few more soldiers. I shot five Germans as the Russians fired gunshots that nailed numerous more enemies, then Chernov shot a few other soldiers. Still, the Germans fired their guns and cut numerous friendlies down as well, so I gunned two enemies down to the left, and then dodged bullets to shoot up an infantry position before gunning down to more enemies at the right.

We Russians all kept fighting the German positions in the grasslands that rained fire on us. With vicious fighting raging, I fired and shot up another machine gun nest before going back into cover by return fire, then I fired more SMG fire that shot five more Germans. The Russians were very slowly clearing the positions away, but as I fired cover shots, however, the Germans fired gunfire back and cut multiple friendlies down. I kept firing shots that destroyed two more positions, then Dimitri gunned a few more soldiers down as I shot up another machine gun nest. With the other Russians firing intense gunfire that nailed multiple enemies, Chernov shot a few Germans while Dimitri gunned a couple others down. As the Germans rained gunshots at us, I fired PPSH fire that nailed six enemies and then I shot up an infantry position. The Russians all fired cover shots back that raked enemy positions, then I braved gunshots to shoot up and take out a machine gun nest. With Dimitri and Chernov blazing cover shots, other Russians fired more rifle fire that gunned numerous enemies down as I shot up and destroyed another infantry position, further making the enemy force here to dwindle.

"Shit," a Russian said, "Crush these svoloches!"

"Burn in Hell!" another Russian shouted.

With me firing PPSH shots that shot up more positions and nailed multiple German soldiers while the other Russians fired immense cover shots, the enemy defenses dwindled severely... And eventually, after much hard fighting, we cleared away the last of the enemy positions.

"Move forward, Comrades," I shouted, "Crush all who resist our great might!"

"The next defensive line should be just up ahead." Dimitri stated.

"If they are, they will be eviscerated as well." I responded.

The Russian troops all followed me as we kept moving down the field, with a few tanks following after. A couple Panzers came in and shot up a T-34, but a few other friendly tanks rolled in and blazed shells that blasted the two Panzers to smouldering bits, then we moved forward to the next grasslands, containing a second German defensive line filled with riflemen, with several machine gun nests stationed alongside.

"Spread out and attack, men!" I ordered.

With that, we entered the set of grasslands, with Dimitri and I leading and Chernov following after. As they moved forward, the tanks behind us blazed shells as artillery cover while the Russian soldier fired their guns, though the German machine guns blazed back just as furiously.

"Raze the svoloches!" a Russian said furiously.

"This is the end for you!" another Russian spoke to the enemy

The Russian troops all moved forward with determined drive, and the German defenses immediately fired immense hails of gunfire that raked and pinned our advancing men. The machine guns blazed powerful rounds that tore some men to bloody pieces while the line of riflemen fired immense gunshots that cut numerous friendlies down as well. Still, we all rushed the trench, with men spreading out and making the machine guns harder to hit them, and friendly soldiers fired their rifles and raked the enemy defenses. Getting to a foxhole, I fired shots that gunned six enemies down, then I aimed and shot up a machine gunner raking at our advance. The German soldiers still kept firing shots that pinned some of the men, so I fired cover shots before aiming and shooting another machine gunner blazing rounds at me. While Dimitri shot several Germans in the fierce fighting, Chernov gunned a few more down while I fired intense cover shots that raked the enemy trench. However, as I evaded return fire by diving back into cover, the Germans fired intense gunfire that nailed multiple Russians, so Dimitri blazed cover at the trench while I fired PPSH shots that cut five more soldiers down as the Russians all fired their guns and raked the enemy trench with fierce gunfire, and the fierce battle raged on as I kept firing at the trench with fury.

Evading more shots, I held my foxhole with Dimitri and then he and I fired PPSH shots that riddled and raked the trench, shooting multiple enemies as well while the Russians moved forward, braving intense German gunfire that rained on them while firing their own gunshots back at the trench. The Russians all kept moving forward, moving through different foxholes and firing shots at the trench while I blazed rounds that took out a machine gun. With hard fighting raging, Chernov gunned a couple more soldiers down as I shot five other Germans in the trench, then as Dimitri shot a few more enemies, I gunned down another machine gunner. As the Germans fired gunshots that cut numerous friendlies down, I evaded rifle shots and gunned two soldiers down at the right, then as Dimitri shot a few other soldiers, I fired and nailed two others at the left. Russian soldiers all fired their guns and nailed multiple enemies in the opposing trench, then I shot up a machine gun nest blazing at us. Dimitri shot a few more soldiers and then Chernov gunned a couple others down as I fired and raked the enemy trench, pinning it as best I could.

The fighting was extremely intense now that we got closer to the trench, with the Germans firing desperate gunfire to keep our men from reaching. But this wasn't enough for them, as my fellow Russians simply drove past the raining enemy gunshots and reached closer foxholes, where they fired their rifles and raked the enemy trench, pinning them down. After evading bullets and reaching another trench, I fired PPSH shots that nailed five enemies, then Dimitri and Chernov blazed cover shots as I gunned down another machine gunner. Braving the incoming enemy gunshots, the Russians fired more intense gunfire that cut numerous more Germans down in the trench a midst the vicious battle. I then gunned two others down as Chernov shot a few more enemies, then I fired and nailed five more soldiers as Dimitri gunned several other Germans down with SMG shots. I then shoot up another machine gunner as the Germans kept blazing desperate shots at us, but the Russians all kept firing their guns and shooting more Germans, then I gunned two soldiers down to the right and then shot another two at the left.

"Die in Hell, you beast!" a Russian said.

"You were on the wrong side!" another Russian spoke to the enemy.

"I'll break the will of you bastards!" a third Russian stated.

The enemy trench diminished fast, and though the Germans tried to hold us off, they could not withstand our might and we eventually shot them all down, clearing away the second trench line and allowing us to move forward again.

I lead the Russian troops past the former trench and down the field. A Panzer rolled in and blazed rounds that took out a friendly tank, but luckily, a second T-34 fired back and demolished the enemy armor. We all kept moving forward, rushing down the grasslands until we came upon our next opponents, pillboxes with machine guns and infantry in support.

"Shit, Kraut pillboxes!" Dimitri stated.

"We'll need to clear them out by their windows." I spoke.

The pillboxes all blazed intense machine gun fire that cut numerous Russians to pieces, the bullets tearing off their limbs and bloody chunks of flesh into pools of blood, while enemy riflemen fired their guns and pinned many friendlies down. Reaching a foxhole, I fired cover shots that raked the enemy pillboxes, and as Dimitri and Chernov fired covering fire at the German defenses from a different foxhole, I kept firing more PPSH shots that gunned multiple soldiers by the pillboxes down that were firing at me. Dimitri and Chernov kept blazing cover, allowing me to hold my foxhole and keep firing on German positions, where I shot four more soldiers. The enemy pillboxes kept blazing rounds that made it difficult to move up, so I kept firing shots that raked the pillbox windows before evading return bullets by going back into the cover of my foxhole. The Russians still slowly moved up, firing rifle shots that raked the German defenses as I gunned two more soldiers down and Chernov shot a couple others. Still, the Germans fired intense shots back, riddling and pinning the Russians, so as I shot four more soldiers, Dimitri gunned a few more down and I then blazed and nailed two others, easing our advance to the pillboxes.

Dimitri and Chernov blazed furious cover shots as I gunned two more soldiers down, and then raked the pillbox windows with PPSH fire. With intense cover, I shot another enemy... Then I made my move to rush up to the pillbox. Dimitri and Chernov followed me up to the pillbox as I gunned two more enemies down, and as the Germans rained fire on them, the Russians fired gunshots back and raked and pinned the enemy positions and soldiers. With Dimitri covering, I shot four more attacking soldiers and then went up to the first pillbox, aimed and shot all the soldiers inside I could see, then threw a grenade and finished it off with a blast. The other enemy defenses were still firing immense gunfire that cut numerous friendlies down, so as I shot two more soldiers, I went to a foxhole by the next pillbox as Dimitri and Chernov blazed cover that struck several soldiers. I gunned down another German firing at me and then aimed and shot two more at the right, just before going up to the bunker window and shooting down all the occupants, finishing off the second bunker and leaving just one more pillbox left to take out.

The Germans all kept raining gunfire down on the Russians, gunning multiple friendlies down. In response, I gunned two soldiers down to the left as Dimitri shot a few other soldiers, then I fired PPSH shots that nailed four more attacking Germans. Chernov gunned down a couple enemies as I shot two others at the right, and as Dimitri fired cover, I made my move and went to the third bunker window. I blazed rounds that tore down the gunners inside and then threw a grenade, blasting away the rest and finishing off the last of the pillboxes... But suddenly, another threat emerged, as two Tiger tanks rolled in like a predator making a strike on their prey and fired shells that destroyed several T-34s, while some Germans came in to assist, firing shots at advancing Russians, and causing the battle to draw out even further... So we dealt with them as well.

"Chyort, Tigers!" Dimitri noted.

"We need to take them out," Chernov stated, "Take cover!"

As I shot two of the soldiers, I noticed some Panzerschrecks in a nest by the second pillbox, so I ran over, shooting another soldier as I grabbed a rocket launcher, aimed and blazed a rocket at the tank. The tank fired back, nearly hitting me, but I reloaded and fired again, hitting a destroying the tank at its back. As Russian soldiers fired cover shots, the German soldiers and the tank kept firing and pinning friendly soldiers and keeping our tanks at bay, so I shot four more soldiers and then aimed and fired the Panzerschreck, damaging the second Tiger. The enemy armor fired back, but I dodged the attack and shot off another shell that finally demolished the Tiger. With Dimitri and Chernov shooting a few soldiers, I shot two enemies at the left and then gunned two others down at the right, and the last of the resistance was destroyed.

"Keep moving," I ordered, "Destroy the last of their defenses!"

"We should be nearing the town," Dimitri said, "Look how far we've come."

"They have harder defenses as we move closer." Chernov spoke.

"And I expect you to destroy them, Chernov." I stated sternly.

"There's just one last defensive line left," Dimitri said, "Let's take them."

We moved down the path on the field with the waves of Russians following after with T-34 tanks in support, and soon, after moving over a short mound, I saw the last trench line in the short distance away, filled with riflemen armed with Gewehr rifles, MP 40 guns ans STG 44 rifles, all aiming at us.

"There's the savages," I remarked, "Drive forth and exact our revenge!"

"Lets slaughter those wretched animals!" a Russian said.

I lead the others in charging the last trench line, and once we got close enough, the line of Germans all fired their guns, their immense gunfire cutting numerous Russians down. As I moved forward, I fired my PPSH and raked the enemy trench, while the other Russians fired gunshots at the trench line as well. Still, the Germans kept firing their guns and shooting as many friendly soldiers down as they could, so I aimed and shot two soldiers and then reached a foxhole with Dimitri and Chernov, then I kept firing shots that gunned four more soldiers down. The Russians l kept firing their guns and shooting multiple Germans as I gunned two others down, then Dimitri shot a few others as I gunned down one more soldier and Chernov fired and nailed a couple others while I shot two more. The Germans still kept firing gunshots that cut multiple friendlies down, so I gunned down two others as Dimitri shot a few more soldiers, then I fired and nailed four Germans. As the Germans kept raining fire down on the others, so as I shot two more enemies, the Russians fired their guns back and raked the trench, then I gunned two other soldiers down. Chernov blazed rounds that took out a couple more Germans, then I shot another soldier as Dimitri gunned a couple others down, and we moved closer to the trench.

Braving the intense German fire raining all over us, raking our troops and pinning them down, the Russians kept charging and firing rifle fire that riddled the trench line, shooting pieces off of the defenses and nailing some soldiers. As I shot two Germans, Dimitri fired and nailed a few others, then I kept firing PPSH shots that gunned four more Germans down. As we all kept fighting viciously, we rushed the trench, firing rifle shots that raked the defenses as the Germans fired desperate gunfire to keep us back. But as I shot two more enemies and Chernov gunned a few others down, the Russians kept moving up with fiery determination. The Germans fired their guns and nailed multiple friendlies, so I gunned two Germans down as Dimitri and Chernov fired cover shots, then I fired my PPSH and shot four more Germans. The fighting intensified as we moved closer, but as the Russians charged and fired gunshots that cut numerous enemies down, the enemy defense diminished, and we started moving up. Dimitri gunned a couple more soldiers down as I shot two more Germans, and then we rushed the trench, reaching it and clearing away any remaining soldiers, some Russians shooting a few remainders while other friendlies stabbed a couple Germans with bayonets... The trenches were clear.

"Excellent," Dimitri said, "The German defenses are destroyed, Viktor."

"Yes... Everyone," I spoke, "Eliminate every one of these rats."

As numerous Russians lined the trench and all aimed their rifles at the grounds before us, several remaining Germans came out, surrendering... But the men had none of it, as a couple Russians vengefully shot and executed a few surrendering enemies, while another friendly set a couple other enemies on fire with a Molotov cocktail.

Multiple enemies retreated from the trench, but they suddenly turned and aimed their guns back at us... Only for our line of Russians to fire a volley that gunned them down, with me shooting several of them and forcing them into further retreat, and then they disappeared over a mound.

"Fix bayonets," I ordered, "Be ready for anything, men."

Immediately, the soldiers who had rifles attached bayonets to their lugs... And as I looked in the short distance, I saw a wave of German troops coming in, not ready to give up on the trench just yet.

"Here they come!" Dimitri warned, just as the enemy soldiers fired at our trench.

The Germans moved cautiously towards our trench, aiming their guns at us. Immediately, we Russians aimed our guns back and then fired immense hails of gunfire at the German wave, shooting numerous soldiers as the Germans fired intense gunfire back, nailing multiple Russians and raking our trench positions. The Germans kept moving up, firing their rifles and gunning as many of our soldiers down as they could. After firing off more volleys, each of us were firing our guns at will, trying to shoot every German we saw. I fired and gunned multiple enemies down as Dimitri fired intense cover, but the Germans kept coming in, shooting more of our soldiers. As our Russians and their Germans kept shooting at each other, with each of us firing some last volleys, the Germans were close enough now that I could see they had bayonets on their rifles, their sharpness gleaming in the sun... And with a terrifying war cry, the Germans came charging at us... I knew just how this would end.

"Charge!" I shouted to the men, and they started charging out of the trench with their own determined cry.

While holding my PPSH, I saw, picked up and weld a three foot long machete off a dead German in the trench, then I lead the charging Russians with Dimitri at the front, with Chernov and all the others rushing in after. The two sides rushed at each other and then clashed, and vicious hand to hand combat ensued, with numerous Russians and Germans slashing, stabbing and hitting each other. Friendly and enemy soldiers slashed and stabbed one another with knives, bayonets and swords while others hit their opponents hard with rifle stocks and their fists. While all the others were fighting viciously with each other, slashing and hitting opponents, I found myself fighting multiple enemies. I hit a charging enemy twice with my gun stock, knocking him down and then blocked the bayonet of another charger with my gun, then knocked him down with two strikes from my gun stock. I then punched another soldier before knocking him down with my gun stock. Another enemy charged at me, but I blocked his bayonet with my gun, and after a struggle, I swiped his gun out of his hands and then punched him in the stomach before punching him again, then another German came at me, but I knocked him down with two hard strikes with my gun stock. With the Russians and Germans fighting, I hit two more Germans with hard strikes from my gun stock, and ten aimed and shot a few enemies a short distance away, before blocking a bayonet attack and stabbing the charger, and the fierce fighting went on as soldiers slashed and stabbed at one another.

While I kept fighting several more soldiers, striking them down, other Russians kept fighting off melee attacks from Germans, with soldiers slashing and fiercely wrestling opponents. I hit another soldier with my gun stock and then stabbed him with my new machete, then I knocked another soldier down with my gun stock and slashing another with my machete. Dimitri hit two soldiers with strikes from his gun stock as Chernov shot another soldier. I then slashed another soldier with my machete and then knocked another down with a couple strikes from gun stock. Russian and German soldiers kept slashing violently at each other with bayonets and swords, or wrestling hard over rifles, and then I knocked another enemy down with my gun stock before blocking the bayonet of a charger with my gun and then knocking him down with my gun stock. Friendly and enemy soldiers kept stabbing and slashing each other with Dimitri knocking another soldier back with his gun stock and then shooting him, then Chernov blocked the bayonet of a charger with his rifle before aiming and gunning him down. Another enemy thrust his knife at me, but I grabbed his arm and sliced the arm clean off with my machete then stabbing him in the stomach, where I furiously lifted him up by the blade in his abdomen. Dimitri knocked two more soldiers down with his gun stock as I knocked down an enemy with my gun stock and slashed another with my machete.

"They're breaking," Dimitri said, "Keep fighting, Comrades!"

Vicious fighting kept raging as the soldiers mauled each other... But the German resistance was dwindling. I wrestled an enemy over his rifle, and after a struggle, I punched the soldier twice and then stabbed him with my machete. Though the Germans tried to hold on, we kept fending off and countering their attacks, and as I turned and struck a charger in the stomach with my gun stock before striking him down on the head, the Germans started retreating. Other Russians fired on the retreating soldiers, and the enemy soldiers were either slashed or gunned down or had disappeared... Eventual hard fighting resulted in us repelling the Germans, winning the fight.

"Yes, Comrades," Dimitri shouted, jubilantly, "Let's drive to the town!"

With their defenses gone now, there was now nothing in our way of the town... And the train of gold, with this dangerous Leischer... And leading us further towards our vengeance on Hershing.


	22. M-10: Final Push - Pt 2

Our advance towards the town had been difficult, but that would not stop us, nothing would. As we came closer to the town itself, we found harder obstacles for us, but also more important things to destroy.

Following my lead, my men and I came towards a line of trees, and as we looked on the other side, we saw two buildings a short distance away. I looked through my binoculars and saw that Germans were moving supplies in and out of the buildings as machine gunners stood watch for anyone like us.

"Those buildings must have supplies to last a year." Dimitri said.

"And that's why we will destroy them," I responded, "Even secure them if we're able."

"So you have any ideas to take them?" Dimitri asked.

"Circle around and attack from the right," I ordered, "Chernov, you take the left."

"You'll provide cover, yes," Dimitri spoke, "Here's to us, Viktor."

With that, Dimitri and Chernov took some of the men with them, splitting up with Dimitri taking his troops to the right as Chernov lead his to down the left, while my soldiers and I held our ground in the tree line and aimed our guns at the Germans just a short distance away. I waited until Dimitri, Chernov and the others were in their positions... And once we were in place and aimed our guns at the Germans, we made our move.

"Attack!" I ordered furiously, "Fire!"

In a pincer move, my troops and I fired intense gunfire at the Germans from the tree line to cover Dimitri, Chernov and their men as they fired gunshots from their positions. As the Germans fired machine gun shots and rifle fire back while we kept firing our guns at them, a fierce skirmish ensued.

"Die, you Kraut bastards!" Dimitri shouted, firing his PPSH.

We all kept firing immense gunfire at the German positions, with Russian soldiers firing and shooting multiple enemies as the Germans fired back and gunned some of our soldiers down in return while their machine guns blazed shots that raked friendly positions. Still, a midst the German gunshots raining towards us in the vicious fighting, we all kept firing intense gunfire that raked and pinned enemy troops. I fired cover shots that nailed four enemies before dodging machine gun bullets, just as Dimitri gunned several others down. I aimed and gunned two more down before shooting a machine gunner blazing at me, then I shot two more soldiers. Chernov gunned a couple others down as Dimitri shot a few more, then the Russian soldiers fired more fiery gunshots that cut numerous more Germans down. As I gunned two more down, the Germans blazed machine gun bullets at me, so I shot four more soldiers and then aimed and shot the machine gunner. With Dimitri shooting a few more soldiers, I gunned two more down at the right, while the Russians kept firing shots that raked the enemy positions. Chernov then gunned a couple enemies down as I shot two other soldiers before aiming and shooting a machine gunner. As the Germans kept firing shots that gunned some of our men down and pinning others, I shot four more soldiers, then aimed and gunned down two more at the right.

Dimitri an Chernov kept slowly moving closer to the buildings, but Germans in the windows fired gunshots that raked and pinned our advancing soldiers. In response, I fired and shot four Germans before dodging enemy rounds, then I aimed and shot a machine gunner. Dimitri and Chernov fired gunshots that nailed several more soldiers on the ground as the Russians with them fired cover fire that raked and pinned enemy positions. I then aimed and shot two soldiers in the building windows while the Russians fired their guns and cut down numerous soldiers on the ground while braving fierce return fire from the enemy soldiers, then I fired and nailed two more in the windows. With Russian soldiers with them blazing cover, Dimitri shot a few more soldiers a Chernov gunned a couple others down, then I shot three other solders in the building windows to cover their advance. Chernov then shot a Germans as Dimitri fired and gunned several others down, then Chernov aimed and shot a couple more soldiers. I fired cover shots that gunned two enemies down before shooting a blazing machine gunner, then I shot four more soldiers on the ground. With the other Russians firing immense cover shots that raked and pinned enemy positions, I gunned a sniper down in the window.

"Dasvidanya, svoloche!" I shouted.

"Strike the buildings, Chernov!" Dimitri ordered.

As German soldiers kept blazing gunshots from the building windows, I shot four more soldiers on the ground and then I aimed and shot three more enemies in the building windows, allowing Dimitri and Chernov to move up further. I gunned two more soldiers down in the windows and then aimed and shot a sniper firing at Chernov from a window, then I fired more shots that nailed two other Germans in the windows as well. However, as Dimitri and Chernov fired gunshots at the enemy positions, more Germans on the ground and in the windows fired on my comrades in return. In response I shot four of the enemies on the ground, then gunned two more down in the windows. Dimitri shot a few more soldiers as I gunned two others down in he windows, then Chernov shot a couple others. I then shot four more soldiers on the ground as Dimitri and a couple Soviets moved up to their building as I shot two more enemies in the windows. Dimitri threw a couple charges in the windows and then he got to safety with the others just before the explosives went off and demolished the building, leaving just one left.

"Burn in Hell, svoloche!" Dimitri shouted.

"Let us hurry and take out the second building!" Chernov said.

Some German soldiers and defensive positions remained to fire gunshots at our advance, so I kept firing cover at the enemy forces so that my men could move up. As I shot four more soldiers, the Russians fired gunfire that nailed multiple enemy soldiers, and Dimitri and Chernov blazed fire that gunned several more Germans down. I shot two more enemies to the left and then aimed and nailed and machine gunner blazing at me before shooting two other soldiers. Fierce fighting raged desperately as the Germans rained gunshots down on our men, shooting some friendlies as enemy machine guns blazed suppression, but I just kept firing cover that raked the enemy positions while Dimitri and Chernov kept gunning a few more soldiers down. I then shot four more soldiers before aiming and shooting two more at the right, then Dimitri gunned a few other soldiers down. I shot two more enemies as Chernov gunned a couple more down, then I shot another two soldiers at the right. With the Russian solders firing gunshots that cut numerous more soldiers down, I aimed and shot four others on the ground. A machine gun blazed at me, but I aimed and shot the gunner in return, before i then gunned two more soldiers down as well.

Chernov and Dimitri got even closer to the second and the last building, but German soldiers fired gunshots from the windows and rained down on Chernov and his men. As Dimitri fired on the building from the right, I gunned two solders down in the windows before shooting another in a doorway. I then gunned three more soldiers down in the windows before aiming and shooting two others on the ground. Dimitri shot a couple more soldiers as Chernov gunned a few other enemies down as well, then I shot two more soldiers on the ground before aiming and gunning down three others in the windows. As I kept firing cover that raked Germans in the windows and on the ground, Chernov moved up even further as Dimitri shot a couple more soldiers. I then shot four Germans on the ground with PPSH fire before aiming and gunning two others down in the windows, allowing Chernov and a couple of his men to move up to the building. I then gunned two more soldiers down in the windows while firing shots that raked enemy positions, allowing Chernov to finally get close enough to do his work.

"Be careful for anything, men." Chernov spoke.

As I still fired cover shots, Chernov and his volunteers threw a couple charges into the windows of the second building before running back to cover. The charges then destroyed the building to bits, finishing off the Germans here and allowing us to continue onward.

"That's it, Comrades," I stated, "Let's head to the city!"

"It should be just down this path." Dimitri said.

The Russians all followed, Dimitri, Chernov and I as we moved past the buildings and headed down the pathway. We rushed down the pathway, looking for any danger until we moved towards the ridge... And that's when German soldiers and tanks came in and fired shots at us, pinning them men down.

"Shit," Dimitri said, "Kraut soldiers!"

"Chyort," I stated, "Fend them off!"

As enemy fire rained down on us, Dimitri and I fired PPSH fire back and shot multiple Germans. It got increasingly difficult, a Tiger tank came in to the right... And suddenly fired on the enemy Panzers. Seeing the Tiger to be friendly controlled, several T-34s came in after it and they all fired on the attacking Germans, decimating and driving them off. I went up to the Tiger, seeing a hammer and sickle painted on the side of its turret head, as Vylkalev revealed himself to be controlling it.

"Reznov, the town's just over this ridge," Vylkalev spoke, "I think this will be useful to take it."

"Well then what are we waiting for," I remarked, "Let's move it."

We all immediately went over to the ridge, and saw the town before us. With numerous friendly soldiers, tanks and even attack dogs in place to help us take the town, I felt no hesitance... Not that I ever seemed to anyways.

"Unleash the dogs!" I ordered, and my comrades then let a number of friendly attack dogs, German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, off their leashes, and they rushed to the town to hunt for enemies.

I saw in the distance that the Germans released their own attack dogs to rush at us. The friendly and enemy dogs clashed with each other, mauling and fighting viciously with one another, with the same drive as their handlers. With the dogs battling each other, we moved in towards the town as well.

"Comrades, charge!" I ordered.

Following my lead, the Russian forces all followed me as we bypassed the fighting dogs and headed straight for the edge of the town, with Vylkalev and his Tiger rolling next to us while the T-34s stayed behind to fire shells on the town from the ridge. Immediately, German machine guns fired at us from the building windows on the outskirts, trying to pin us down.

"Shit," Dimitri said, "Eliminate the machine guns!"

As the German machine guns rained fiery gunfire at the men, I fired intense PPSH fire that raked the enemy positions. The machine guns kept firing and cutting multiple friendlies to bloody shreds, ripping off limbs with powerful shots, so I aimed and shot up one machine gunner as Dimitri covered me with PPSH shots, but then another gunner blazed rounds that drove me to cover. However, Vylkalev's Tiger blazed shells in return, and I used my binoculars to direct his tank in firing a shell that destroyed another machine gun. The machine gunners desperately held on, firing shots that raked and pinned the men, but I fired more continuous PPSH fire that shot up two more machine guns. As I evaded further bullets, I directed Vylkalev's Tiger with my binoculars to blaze a shell that took out another machine gun.

We all moved up closer, with one last machine gun blazing... But that wouldn't be a problem, as a Russian with a ROKS-2 flamethrower went u and sprayed flames that burned away the machine gun and engulfed a couple enemies in flames... Thus, clearing our way into the town.

"Move in," I ordered, "Clear the bastards from every building!"

While Vylkalev manned the machine gun on his Tiger as it rolled down the road, I rushed in next to him while Dimitri, Chernov and the Russians all followed me on the road leading through the town. Immediately, the Germans fired at us from the buildings and streets, firing MP 40 guns and STG 44 rifles at us, with some enemies even blazing double barrelled shotguns.

"I'll raze you Kraut bastards!" a Russian shouted.

"Die, you savage animal!" another Russian said.

Intense German gunfire rained at us as we all entered the village, and a vicious battle ensued. The Germans fired more fierce gunfire that cut numerous Russians to shreds, their bullets tearing off limbs and bloody pieces of flesh. Still, we braved the enemy gunshots and fired immense gunfire back that raked the enemy positions, pinning some enemies. I fired and nailed five enemies in the streets as the Russians all fired gunshots that cut multiple German down, then I kept firing PPSH fire that shot six more Germans and raked enemy positions. Dimitri shot several more Germans while Chernov gunned a few others down, then Vylkalev blazed his machine gun and raked enemy positions in the houses. The Germans still blazed furious gunshots that gunned numerous Russians down and raked and pinned some other friendlies with continuous fire, but the Russians fired gunshots back that riddled the German positions. Chernov gunned a couple enemies down to the left, then Dimitri fired and nailed a few others in the street while Chernov shot a couple more to the right. I fired PPSH fire that nailed five more enemies, then fired cover shots that raked enemy house positions.

As German soldiers fired their guns at us in the streets, more enemies fired intense shots from the buildings all around us, raking our movements. As Vylkalev blazed cover with his machine guns, I fired PPSH shots that riddled the enemy house positions. I gunned two enemies down in a window, then Dimitri shot a few others as I fired and nailed five more enemies in a couple building windows. The Germans kept firing gunshots that shot up multiple Russians while raking and pinning some others. I aimed and gunned down another two soldiers in a window as Chernov shot a few more soldiers, then I shot two other enemies in a different window. The Germans still fired intense gunshots from the building windows that pinned our movements, so I fired PPSH fire that shot five more enemies in a couple house windows, then the Russians fired hails of gunfire that cut numerous Germans to pieces in the village. Dimitri fired and shot several more enemies as Chernov gunned a few others down, then Dimitri blazed PPSH shots that nailed a few more soldiers. I shot two soldiers in a building window as Dimitri shot a couple enemies in the street, then I gunned two others down in a building as Chernov shot a couple more enemies in the street as I fired and nailed two more Germans in a house, then we kept fighting down the street.

Vicious fighting kept raging as we moved through the village, braving intense German gunfire that rained at us. As the enemy gunshots cut soldiers down and raked our positions, we all fired immense gunfire back that riddled the enemy defenses. I fired and shot five Germans in the houses, then as Vylkalev blazed his machine gun and shot up an enemy machine gun post, I shot five more enemies in the houses with PPSH fire. An enemy soldier then rushed at me, but I slashed him down with my knife, then I dodged some machine gun rounds before aiming and gunning down the machine gunner. We came upon some German soldiers in the street who all fired hails of gunfire and shot multiple friendlies down, so we took positions in the street and fired our guns back, shooting some of the enemies in return. The Russian and German soldiers fired immense hails of gunfire at each other in the streets, riddling each others' positions as gunning soldiers to pieces. Dimitri and I fired PPSH fire that nailed multiple enemies as the Russians fired gunshots that cut numerous other Germans down. With Dimitri and Chernov firing cover shots, I fired PPSH fire that cut numerous soldiers down, and as the Germans fired and shot some friendlies in the street, the Russians fired and nailed multiple enemies in return.

The Russian and German soldiers kept firing immense hails of gunfire at each other in the streets, raking and pinning different positions and soldiers. As the fierce battle raged furiously, I gunned two soldiers down as Dimitri shot several more enemies, then I fired PPSH shots that nailed six more Germans. We all kept fighting and firing gunshots at German soldiers in the street who rained immense gunfire at us, but we braved past it and fired on their positions. The Germans fired gunshots and cut numerous friendlies down, but as Dimitri, Chernov and I fired cover shots, the Russians fired gunfire and shot multiple enemies in return. A machine gun blazed at us, but I aimed and shot the gunner down as the Russian and German soldiers kept firing gunshots at each others' positions in the streets. I gunned two soldiers down as Vylkalev raked a nest with his machine gun, then I shot five more soldiers. After some hard fighting, we cleared away the enemy forces in this side of the street, with me shooting two more down. A German charged at me, but I slashed him down with my knife, then I shot down a blazing machine gunner.

We moved down the street to encounter more enemies that fired on us from the buildings and streets. I gunned two enemies down in a building window, then as Dimitri shot a few more soldiers, I fired and shot five Germans in the houses. Enemy gunfire kept raining all over us, but the Russians kept firing cover shots that raked their positions. Chernov gunned a couple soldiers down as I shot five more soldiers, then Dimitri fired and nailed a few others. I fired and raked more house positions with PPSH fire as Vylkalev blazed cover with his machine gun, with me shooting two soldiers at the left and then gunning two others down at the right. As I shot some more soldiers in the buildings firing at me, the Russian soldiers all fired their guns and shot numerous enemies in the streets and buildings. Coming further through the town, we encountered more Germans positioned on the other end of the street, firing immense gunfire at our troops and cutting multiple friendlies down. In response, the Russians all held their street positions and fired back as the Germans rained gunfire on them, with me firing PPSH shots and striking six enemies so that we could hold our positions in the street.

Russian and German soldiers kept firing immense gunfire at each others' positions in the streets, raking and pinning soldiers. With vicious fighting raging in the streets, the Germans fired intense gunfire that nailed multiple friendlies and riddled our positions. Still, Dimitri and I fired PPSH fire that cut numerous enemies down in the streets as Chernov covered us with SVT shots. With friendly and enemy soldiers firing hails of gunshots at each other, Dimitri, Chernov and I fired cover that let the Russians fire their guns and shoot numerous enemies in return. After much hard fighting, we cleared away this street section and moved on. A German rushed with a bayonet, but I grabbed his rifle, punched him and stabbed him in the neck before coming to a part where Germans fired hails of shots from some buildings. However, with some fighting and the Russians firing immense cover shots at the positions, I fired and shot numerous enemies in the houses. The Germans still rained fire on us from the houses, but I shot six more soldiers in the windows as the Russians fired shots cut more enemies down in the houses and eliminated them, then we could move on further to the end.

"Burn in Hell, svoloche!" a Russian stated.

"Chyort, kill these bastards!" a second Russian said.

"Fire on their positions!" a third Russian shouted.

Moving towards the end of the village, Vylkalev exited from his tank and joined us on the ground as we moved closer towards the other side of the town... And in the short distance away, I saw the rail road track itself, where Leischer's train would come in.

"There's the tracks," Dimitri stated, "Come on, Viktor!"

We all came to the end of the village, where a flammenwerfer operator emerged and sprayed flames that burned a few Russians to death, but I aimed and gunned him down in return. Coming to the last house, which blazed gunshots at us, I fired cover fire back that raked the house as it fired at me... But soon enough, a Russian with a ROKS-2 flamethrower came in close enough and blazed fire at the enemy position, setting it aflame and incinerating a few German soldiers... As we approached the house, some Germans came out to surrender, but I would have none of it.

"Finish them off!" I ordered.

"Wait," Chernov spoke, "They could help us!"

"They can die for us!" I responded.

Several Russians aimed their guns at the surrendering Germans and fired hails at them, bloodily and ruthlessly gunning them all down in a fierce execution, shooting them until they were all dead. I looked over to see the rail road track just near the house.

"They were giving up, Sergeant." Chernov spoke.

"That's enough, Private!" I told him.

"Get into that building, Reznov," Vylkalev said, "Those svoloches will try to retake the city."

I entered the building with Vylkalev, Dimitri and Chernov and we all took positions by the windows, aiming our guns out to fend off any incoming enemies. Other Russians held positions in different buildings and street posts as Vylkalev ordered engineers to place explosives on the track laying just near us... But surely enough, more Germans came in down the streets to retake the town. Vylkalev manned an MG 42 gun in the window as Dimitri, Chernov and I aimed our guns to repel.

"Drive them off!" Vylkalev ordered.

The Russians all fired gunfire from their positions and shot numerous Germans coming into the town, and as a vicious battle raged, I fired my PPSH and gunned five enemies down as well. The fighting went on fiercely as we all fired gunshots from our positions, raking and pinning more enemy soldiers, covering the engineers, but the Germans kept coming in down the roads, firing shots at our positions. I shot two more soldiers at the left as Vylkalev pinned more soldiers with the MG 42, then I fired and nailed five more soldiers on the roads. Dimitri shot several more enemies as Chernov gunned a few others down as well, then the Russians all fired immense gunfire and shot multiple enemies to pieces. The engineers still worked on their charges, so I gunned two more soldiers down as Vylkalev raked several others with MG fire, then I shot another two enemies. Still, as we fired shots that raked some enemies, the Germans fired back and shot multiple friendlies in return, so I fired and shot five more soldiers in the roads. Chernov gunned a couple enemies down as Dimitri fired and nailed a few others, then Chernov shot a couple more Germans. I gunned two more enemies down as the Russians kept firing shots that fended off the attacking soldiers in a fierce battle.

We all kept fighting very hard to hold on to the town from this counterattack, and mostly to protect the engineers so they could finish up the charges before the train came. Vylkalev kept blazing MG 42 shots that pinned the advancing enemies and covered the engineers, while I gunned two attacking soldiers down on a house roof. The incoming Germans kept firing shots that nailed multiple Russians and raked friendly positions, so I fired PPSH fire and shot six more enemies in the streets. Our defenses were becoming strained as the Germans kept coming in and shooting us up, but the Russians all kept firing gunshots that cut multiple enemies down, then I gunned down another two soldiers on a house roof. Dimitri shot several more enemies as Chernov gunned a few others down, then I fired PPSH shots that nailed six more Germans. The intense fighting kept raging as we desperately held on, but we still held them off, with the Russians firing hails of gunfire that shot numerous enemies. I gunned two more soldiers down as Dimitri shot a few others, then I fired ad nailed another two Germans... Eventually, the enemy attack diminished and sent them into retreat.

"Explosives set!" one of the engineers called out while the German counterattack fell.

"Reznov, the train!" Vylkalev warned.

As the German attack dwindled, I suddenly saw behind us, the smoke from the train in the distance, barreling along the tracks running by my building. I even saw that the train was beginning to slow down as it neared the town, so I gave the command.

"Destroy the tracks!" I ordered.

The engineers acted quickly, activating the charges as they burst the part of the track up. The incoming train seemed to notice this as it slowed down even further. Eventually, the train stopped just a short distance away from the dent in the track as we fended off the enemy counter attack in front of us. With the counter attack finished, more Russians went towards the train, with me going down there with them.

"Inspect the train, Reznov," Vylkalev spoke, "And be careful."

Vylkalev watched over with a scoped Mosin rifle while I stood near the train as Russians came near it as well... But that was when German soldiers fired their guns from the windows of a couple of the train cars, shooting numerous Russians and pinning some others. I fired gunshots that raked the windows as the Russians fired gunshots back and gunned some of the enemies down.

However, the Germans kept firing intense gunfire from the windows and shooting multiple friendlies to bloody pieces... And that was just the start, for the enemies started coming out of the train as well, showing themselves to be strong, powerful Asien Korps soldiers armed with scoped FG 42s and STG 44s, each with bayonets and seething with fury to hunt and kill.

"Chyort!" I said, "Strike these bastards!"

Korps soldiers came out of the train and fired hails of gunfire at us, furiously raking our positions and shooting numerous friendlies while pinning others. As I evaded their powerful gunshots and fired cover shots back at them, Vylkalev blazed sniper rounds at the incoming enemies as well, striking one down with a firm head shot. As I dodged some more dangerous bullets, I fired and riddled another a soldier until he was dead.

While slinging my PPSH over my back, I picked up and wielded a scoped FG 42, then as more Korps soldiers came in to attack, I fired some intense fire back at them as Dimitri came in to fire his PPSH for cover. The Korps soldiers kept firing gunshots that cut some friendlies down and raked our positions, so I engaged them as furiously as I could.

In a fierce firefight, I fired shots that gunned one enemy down, and then dodged bullets to shoot down another. Some Korps soldiers fired gunshots back and drove me to cover. With Dimitri covering me, I braved enemy shots and fired gunfire that cut two more enemies down, then after dodging another dangerous volley, I turned and shot another one down, riddling him until dead. That was when a Korps soldier charged at me with his bayonet, shouting "Heil Hitler!" at the top of his lungs, but I quickly gunned him down. I was nearly shot dead by return fire, but I fired and gunned another enemy down before evading some powerful shots to shoot another enemy firing at me. In the vicious skirmish, as the other Russians fired cover shots, the Korps Germans kept firing intense gunfire that cut some of the friendly soldiers down. As I withstood the volleys fired at me, I fired hails of shots that gunned two more soldiers down, then I aimed and shot down another attacking soldier.

As I shot another soldier, two other Korps men charged at me with bayonets, so I turned and gunned one down, but the other reached and tried to stab me. Luckily, I dodged the blade and grabbed his rifle, wrestling him over it, and after a struggle, I knocked him back with the stock and stabbed him with the bayonet to finish him. After evading some more bullets, I gunned two more soldiers down with riddling shots. After braving fire and shooting another Korps soldier, however, another greater threat came in.

Two black clothed arm band wearing Korps soldiers came in, armed with MG 34s and firing volleys that ripped at our posts. With several friendlies torn to bloody bits by machine gun fire, Dimitri and I fired back and damaged one. That enemy fired back at us, but I dodged the volley and fired back to damage him again. The enemy fired some shots that raked our position, but I aimed and blazed concentrated fire that finally killed him... But the other machine gunner fired at us and raked our position. I dodged the shots and then gunned down a separate attacking soldier, and then fired shots that damaged the machine gunner, but he just fired more rippling shots at my cover. Eventually, he ran out of ammunition, but he just drew his sabre and rushed me. I dodged a couple swings from his blade and fired at him, eventually shooting him in the head.

As the enemies on the outside dwindled, they kept offering a desperately fierce defense. However, with Russian soldiers firing cover shots that gunned several of them down, I shot one other down, and then aimed and gunned down another, finishing off the enemies on the outside.

"Reznov, Leischer must still be in the train," Vylkalev said, "Get in there after him, and try to capture him if you can... He might be our only link to Hershing!"

With that, I entered the train, searching down the cars for the targeted man. A Korps soldier fired at me, so I gunned him down in return while another enemy rushed me with a bayonet, but I shot him before he got close. I went into another car, where a couple Korps soldiers fired on me, but as I held cover by a table, I fired back and shot one down. I dodged return fire from the other as Dimitri blazed cover, then I gunned that enemy down as well. Making my way to the back of the car, a Korps soldier charged at me, but I dodged his bayonet thrust and then grabbed his rifle, which we struggled over, before I knocked him back with the stock and stabbed him with the bayonet.

"Leischer should be in the next car." Dimitri said

We approached the door to the next car, with me placing a hand on Dimitri's shoulder to reassure him. "Ready?" I asked, and after a short moment, we burst through the door and saw an astonishing sight... Great stacks of gold placed all over the car, and Leischer was there guarding them with an MP 35.

A Korps soldier came at me with a knife, swiping away my PPSH, but I wrestled him over the knife. I then punched my enemy twice before drawing my Model 27 revolver and gunning him down, but Leischer fired at me with his MP 35, driving me to cover. With Dimitri giving me cover, I fired back as he kept shooting at me, and we engaged in a tense gunfight. Leischer fired shots at me, but I fired back as he kept shooting at me. Eventually, as we kept firing at each other, Liescher eventually ran out of ammunition, a predicament I also faced with my Model 27, so we rushed at one another, only for him to kick me down and draw his Walther P38.

Dimitri engaged Leischer in a fierce fight, wrestling him hard over the pistol. As they struggled, Dimitri threw his fist, but Leischer blocked it and punched him in the stomach. They both wrestled viciously, but eventually, Leischer held onto Dimitri's arm and punched him before driving him into a wall, knocking him out.

I wielded my PPSH and fired at Leischer, riddling his stomach, then I rushed him and seized my hands around his throat to ram his head against the window glass, knocking his cap off and revealing his baldness. I then threw him against a gold stack, and he held himself against it while grasping his injured stomach.

"...Damn you, Reznov!" Leischer said.

"The Fuhrer's oppression will never triumph!" I responded, "You have lost!"

"You won't survive us," Leischer stated, "We won't even need this gold!"

"You don't get it," I stated, "You're regime is dying!"

"...No... No!" Leischer shouted, turning somewhat demonic, "You'll die with me!"

He then held up and primed a Stielhandgranate, and as I saw him do this, I got Dimitri back up and we bolted for the door, just as Leischer finished priming the grenade and rushed Hellishly at us... But I got Dimitri through the exit and closed the door just as Leischer nearly reached us... Then there was a blast from behind the door.

After a short moment, I opened the door and saw the now dead Leischer, killed by the grenade blast... At least we stopped the train.

* * *

Surveying the destruction that all happened here at Kursk... It was rather sad, seeing the corpses and remains of my comrades lying on the burning battlefield. Our campaign against these brutal savage enemies has been of repaying with savagery, and all of it has been necessary. Still, as proud as I am of my service, even _my_ resolve is being tested by just how atrocious this war has been... But there have been small moments, the camaraderie of my men, that have been able to keep some optimism.

I walked over to a wrecked tank, where I found Dimitri looking under the wreckage, as Chernov sat atop the tank, with some of my men, Kilikov, Chishikov and Grishenkov, standing nearby. As I stood next to them, Dimitri reached his hands under the tank, seeming to pull something out.

"...Hey... Will you look at this." Dimitri said, just as he held something and pulled it out from under the tank.

"What, what is it?" Chernov asked, rather casually.

Dimitri stood back up and revealed what was in his hands... A small puppy, a Border Collie pup specifically, which Dimitri cradled and petted in his hands. Seeing the young Dimitri innocently hold the dog even gave me a smile.

"How about that." Chernov said as he leaped down.

That was when I saw Vylkalev come over, holding a camera as he spoke, "Viktor, let's get a picture, to document our success... The Heroes of Kursk."

With that, each of us got into place, with me holding my PPSH in my left hand while placing my right on Dimitri's shoulder as he held the puppy in both hands to show to the camera. Chernov sat on the ground just in front of all of us as Kilikov and Chishikov stood next to each other with gun in hand as Grishenkov sat on the tank just above them, holding a captured Nazi flag found off the tank.

With all of us in place and smiling, Vylkalev got his camera ready and pointed it at us... Just before pressing the button.

 _*Flash*_...I'm sure it was a good picture.


	23. Things Change

_The bloodiest battle in the Pacific so far had occurred on Saipan, many brave men lost their lives, heroically fighting to eliminate the forces of this evil, genocidal regime... They will soon be avenged further. Once we rid the rest of the Marianas of our enemies, then little to nothing will stand in our way to Japan... Then we can gain our revenge.  
_

* * *

 **On board an LST ship headed for Tinian**

Sullivan walked down through the ship, heading for the Marines' quarters. Coming upon the berthing, he looked around past the numerous beds, seeing only a few Marines present in the compartment. The men were spread out, either talking to each other or going about their daily tasks. Sullivan spotted a Marine, alone, sitting on his bed... And as Sullivan walked up to him, he found him to be Chris Miller, just who he was looking for. Sullivan saw that Miller was reading letters that he had received just recently.

"Been lookin' all over for ya'," Sullivan said to Miller, standing just by him and placing a hand on his shoulder, "How are you doing, Chris?"

"Fine," Miller responded, "Where's Eddie?"

"He's on the deck... Fishing."

"Fishing, really? Well, check it out, mail's here."

"Did Emily write you back... How long have you two been together now?"

"Since high school, but we got to see each other during our break after Tarawa... That letter's over there."

"So what's on your mind?"

"This," Miller answered, holding his current letter, "It's from Roebuck."

"John?" Sullivan pondered, then he looked over Miller's shoulder to read from the letter, quietly reading from the letter along with Miller

 _Chris, Tom_

 _Hoping that you're still alive, and that you get this. I just want to know that you're both still okay, that we may be able to see each other after the end of the war. That may be coming closer than you think, I heard you just took Saipan. That means Japan's in range for the bombers, hopefully it didn't take too much trouble to take. As for here, Cape Gloucester's ours. But, I don't think the Polonsky I remember is still with us. You remember him, right? Blond kid, bit nervous. Well, he's changed since Gloucester, what he's seen, done, he's become much more aggressive, mean. Honestly, I don't know if that's better, cause now he'll fight with necessary savagery against the Japanese, or if it's worse, cause that could also get him killed, or he won't be able to adjust back home. I'm worried about him._

 _Anyways, here's all I know of what happened..._

* * *

Sullivan read the letter, the description of Polonsky's mood, persona, in rather graphic detail... He tried to imagine what was going through Polonsky's view that day... When he changed...

 _A midst the island of Cape Gloucester, a midst the fighting there, Private Erik Polonsky was sitting there in a cave on the island, along with a few other Marines, close friends he had become accustomed to since being placed in the 1st Marine Division... One of them, named Ryan, Polonsky had known since boot camp. He had helped him get through the arduous training, kept his spirits up, even as others doubted him... And now, they had fought together, side by side, ever since._

 _Polonsky had sworn to protect him, keep him safe..._

 _They were talking, having their breakfast, sorting weapons. Just as he placed a captured Type 99 machine gun on the ground, one Marine noticed something just outside the cave. The thing that came very close to the cave, and then threw a couple Kiska grenades in, revealing themselves to be Japanese soldiers._

 _"Japs!" the Marine warned._

 _...But it was too late, for the grenades went off, killing one and wounding the other two. Polonsky was spared any real damage from behind a mound, so he started crawling over to the two wounded Marines, writhing on the ground. As he got closer, Polonsky saw that one of them was Ryan. He also tried to near an M1911 pistol, but before he could, immediately, Japanese soldiers began entering the cave._

 _Polonsky remained still, trying not to be noticed. But Ryan and the other Marine were still moving around... So a couple Japanese soldiers decided to finish them off. One Japanese soldier walked over to the other Marine and stabbed him with a few cruel thrusts of his bayonet into his stomach, killing him._

 _Ryan whispered to Polonsky, telling him to be quiet... But then a Japanese soldier towered over the still moving Ryan. The soldier looked at him with a ruthless stare... Just before thrusting his bayonet into Ryan's back, sadistically twisting the blade to increase the pain, and then stabbing him again in the back to finish him off... Then Ryan became lifeless._

 _With the Marines now dead, the Japanese soldiers left the cave with the rest of their squad. With them gone, Polonsky went over to Ryan's body, becoming just sad as he mourned his fallen comrade, killed in such a cruel manner._

 _...And then something else overcame Polonsky, seeing how his close friends were killed, so sadistically, his sadness immediately turned into anger, becoming furious rage as he looked out towards the cave exit... Towards the Japanese._

 _Breathing heavily with anger, Polonsky came to the canyon exit, laying down on the ground as he saw the Japanese squad still closeby. He stared at them with fury, then he noticed the Type 99 laying on the ground. He quickly grabbed the gun, placed it on a rock and angrily aiming it at the nearby enemy squad. He furiously pulled the trigger a few times, wishing badly to shoot at the Japanese squad, but he remembered that he forgot to put the magazine in. He saw a couple magazines just next to him, so he picked it up, placed it into the gun, cocked it... Then he let loose._

 _Polonsky was furiously firing the Type 99 gun at the startled Japanese soldiers in a heated rage. Polonsky was angrily firing hails of shots at the Japanese, furiously raking and pinning them down, trying to shoot as many enemies as he saw. Polosnky's enraged gunfire and furious anger greatly overwhelmed the Japanese soldiers, and he still kept wildly firing intensely shots. Replacing the spent magazine with a new clip, he fired more furiously wild gunfire at the Japanese, continuing, angrily raking them and even gunning six of them down...And Polonsky kept firing wildly until he ran out.  
_

 _"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHH!" the enraged Polonsky screamed as he wildly fired the Type 99._

 _The pinned Japanese attempted to break free, starting to run back into the jungle... But Polonsky wasn't finished, for he slung his ammo pouches over his shoulder like a bandolier and then grabbed his M1 Garand rifle all before he furiously pursued his enemies into the jungle._

 _Running with fury, he immediately caught up with the retreating Japanese in the jungle. Once doing so, Polonsky aimed and fired enraged Garand shots at the Japanese, raking them with rifle fire. Polonsky kept firing and furiously shooting two Japanese soldiers, then he aimed and gunned down another. Polonsky chased them through the jungle and caught up again, then he angrily fired shots that nailed two more soldiers, then he reloaded and wildly fired immense shots that raked the Japanese soldiers in the jungle. He chased them again and then he aimed and shot one soldier, before aiming again and shooting another, then he fired more wild shots that raked the enemy troops._

 _As he kept firing wild, furious Garand rifle fire that raked and pinned the Japanese soldiers, Polonsky just filled up with rage. He kept firing until he ran out of bullets, but he saw the remaining five Japanese converging to each other to keep running... But Polonsky was faster, so he rushed up to the Japanese soldiers, and in a furious rage, the Marine was wildly and furiously swinging his Garand rifle at them, angrily trying to strike them down with the rifle stock. Polonsky kept swinging and swinging as furiously as he could against the terrified Japanese soldiers surrounding him, each of them trying to desperately dodge each of Polonsky's furious swings. As he swung his rifle, he whacked a Japanese soldier down with two strikes from his rifle stock._

 _Polonsky went on furiously swinging at the enemies, even knocking another one down with a strike from his rifle stock, and as he swung wildly some more, he found himself face to face with a now scared Japanese soldier. Polonsky quickly saw his face, remembering the ruthless stare from before... The soldier who killed Ryan... As the scared man tried desperately to reach for his pistol, the enraged Polonsky charged and knocked him down, just before beating the Japanese soldier furiously with the rifle stock._

 _"Jikkō shi, kare wa akumadesu! (Run, he's a demon)!" one of the other Japanese soldiers said._

 _As Polonsky was angrily beating the soldier responsible for Ryan's death, the other Japanese soldiers tried to run off for their lives. They came upon some other nearby Japanese soldiers, alerted by the commotion... But the commotion also brought others in, US Marines, lead by Polonsky's leader, Corporal John Roebuck._

 _Just before the arriving Japanese could aim at Polonsky, in a surprise move, the arriving and immediately positioned Marines all fired hails of gunshots at the arriving Japanese soldiers, shooting numerous enemies to pieces. The Marines kept firing shots that raked and pinned the Japanese soldiers, and as the friendly soldiers kept firing shots, with Roebuck giving cover with his Thompson, the Japanese started retreating back into the woods... But as Polonsky blazed cover shots at the other enemies, Roebuck and the Marines were chasing and firing at the Japanese._

 _As the Japanese were running through the jungle, the Marines chased after them, firing shots that nailed several running Japanese as they pushed them back. As the Marines chased, Roebuck gunned several others down before taking cover. He reloaded and then fired a wild hail of shots at the Japanese, raking them. As the Marines kept chasing and firing on the retreating Japanese, many of the other remaining Japanese soldiers knelt down and raised their hands in surrender._

 _Eventually, the remaining Japanese were either shot down or captured by American soldiers, who posted no losses... But Polonsky wasn't done yet, for as he was finishing giving cover for Roebuck, the Japanese soldier who had killed Ryan, who had been beaten down by Polonsky, regained his mindset and, now completely terrified, he started running for his life... But Polonsky immediately noticed this, took out his knife, and gave chase._

 _The terrified Japanese soldier ran and stumbled, but Polonsky ran even faster with fury, ultimately stabbing and tackling him down with the knife. Polonsky then crouched on top of the wounded enemy, took his knife and started stabbing the pinned Japanese soldier over and over with furious aggression._

 _As Polonsky kept furiously stabbing the Japanese soldier, Roebuck came back and stood near, seeing the event. Polonsky kept stabbing, and stabbing, and stabbing, spraying blood all over... But he just kept stabbing the soldier over and over, screaming even as the man was dead... Until he was exhausted._

 _His furious anger and aggression passed, Polonsky stood up, feeling now stoic and quiet as the front of his clothes and arms were covered in blood. He just stood there, remaining rather emotionless, before beginning to walk past Roebuck and the Marines... Roebuck watched him leave with a stoic feeling._

* * *

Sullivan came near the end of the letter as he kept reading the event Roebuck had described.

 _We've been resting here on Pavavu, about the same time you guys have been resting on Hawaii... But ever since that day on Gloucester, Erik hasn't been speaking since._


	24. M-11: Terrible Trouble in Tinian - Pt 1

_Later on...  
_

 **'Terrible Trouble in Tinian Town'**

 **Tinian Island, Marianas**

 **July 26, 1944**

 **Pvt. Edric Henderson**

 **2nd Marine Division**

There it was, Tinian, the last enemy base in the Marianas, staring at me just a short distance from across the seas. As I stood in the LVT, moving across the waters to the island, I felt nervous... But still, remaining committed to whatever I could face here. Miller was with me in one LVT while Sullivan rode in another just next to ours.

I manned the 30. Cal gun as we moved closer to the island, and as we sailed in, Japanese planes, Mitsubishi Zeroes, started flying in over us, intent on keeping us from getting closer... Well, I was about to send a message of my own as well while everyone called out to each other's transports.

"This is it, Eddie," Miller said, "Marines, we're coming for Tinian."

"Japanese navy planes, incoming," Sullivan warned, "Eddie, cover us so we can reach the beach!"

Aiming the 30. Cal, I blazed rounds at the skies to fend off the attacking Zeroes. As I fired at the skies at the enemy planes, I managed to shoot one Zero down as another came in with a strafing run. As I fired back, the strafing plane dodged my bullets, but I fired more shots that nailed two more Zeroes out of the sky.

With the Zeroes coming, another plane strafed me, and even as I blazed furiously back, I only clipped him as he maneuvered away. Another plane came in to strafe, but I fiercely shot him to pieces and then fired shots that destroyed two more Zeroes. One more Zero came in with a strafing run, but with concentrated rounds, I blazed and shot him out of the sky, just like a turkey shoot.

...Eventually, the Zeroes began withdrawing, leaving nothing to keep us from reaching the beach, and moving in to reinforce the 4th Marines in seizing the island.

"Great work, Eddie," Miller complimented enthusiastically, "Let's keep going for the island!"

"Once we land, look for me," Sullivan called out from his LVT, "We'll work our way around the beach!"

"Got it, Sullivan!" Miller responded from our transport, then turned to me, "You sure showed 'em, Henderson."

It was still an arduous, though brief journey as our vehicle traversed through the choppy sea waters as we made our way to the beach, even as a few artillery shells from distant Japanese guns on the island splashed down into the waters near us... But our luck paid off, as both our LVTs, along with several others landed at the beach and started deploying us along with groups of Marines, then we started moving across the beach to engage any further Japanese defenses, with me wielding an M1 Garand rifle as a Thompson lay slung across my back.

We began moving up the beach... As we made our way across the sand, further up on the grasses and palm trees at the edge of the sand, lay Japanese positions. These defenses were filled with Japanese machine guns and infantry, and were all ready to offer some resistance.

"Tekihei! (Enemy soldiers!)" a Japanese soldier stated from the enemy positions as we approached.

"Kogeki! (Attack!)" another Japanese soldier ordered from the defenses.

While moving up the sand, the Japanese positions on the grassland all fired immense machine gun and rifle fire at our advance, cutting multiple friendlies down and pinning some others, while most of us kept pressing forward.

"Eliminate these fucking Jap positions!" Miller said, firing his BAR rifle at enemy defenses.

Immediately, as the enemy positions rained machine gun fire all over, we and all the other Marines fired rifle shots back the raked the positions and pinned Japanese soldiers, and a fierce skirmish commenced as we moved up.

"Shit, enemy machine guns!" a Marine stated.

"Fire on them," another Marine said, "Kill every one of them!"

Vicious fighting raged as the Marines kept firing rifle fire at Japanese positions while moving across the beach, but the enemy machine guns kept firing and cutting numerous more friendlies down. Still, Miller and I fired shots that riddled enemy positions and nailed several Japanese while Sullivan blazed furious cover. The Marines all kept firing shots that raked and pinned enemies, shooting multiple Japanese in the fierce skirmish. I aimed and gunned two enemies down before shooting up a position, then I aimed and shot two more soldiers. Miller fired BAR fire that nailed several Japanese while Sullivan gunned a few others down with Thompson shots. As the Marines fired gunshots that riddled Japanese positions, I fired more Garand shots and nailed five Japanese, though the enemy positions blazed fire back that cut multiple friendlies down. I kept firing shots that riddled and destroyed a couple more positions, then I gunned two others down. As Miller and Sullivan fired cover shots that nailed several enemies, a Japanese machine gun blazed at me. In response, I aimed and shot the gunner down, then the Marines fired rifle fire that cut numerous Japanese to shreds in the vicious battle, then I shot five more enemies with Garand fire.

As enemy gunshots still rained heavily around them, the Marines all kept firing intense gunfire that riddled and shot up some Japanese positions. As the Marines still fired rifle shots that nailed multiple Japanese soldiers, I fired and shot six enemies with Garand fire while Miller fired BAR fire that cut several Japanese down and Sullivan shot a few others. Enemy soldiers blazed gunshots that struck numerous charging Marines, so I gunned two more enemies down to the right and then I fired and shot up a couple more positions, taking them out as I then shot two more enemy soldiers. The Marines fired immense rifle fire and riddled numerous enemies and shot up several more positions to pieces, then I fired and shot five more Japanese in the fierce fighting. A machine gun blazed towards me and pinned a few friendlies, but I aimed and shot the gunner, then the Marines fired immense cover shots that raked and pinned enemy positions. Miller shot a few Japanese with BAR fire as Sullivan fired his Thompson and gunned several enemies down, then Miller fired BAR fire and nailed a few more soldiers. I gunned two more soldiers down and shot up a position while Miller and Sullivan furiously blazed cover at them. An enemy machine gun blazed and raked a couple friendlies, so I aimed and shot the gunner and his crewman.

The Marines all kept moving up the sand, firing rifle shots at enemy troops as they moved. The enemy defenses were severely dwindling as the Marines fired gunfire that riddled and destroyed several more positions. Still, the Japanese kept up their defense, blazing rounds that struck numerous charging Marines. As the fierce fighting went on, I shot up another position, then I fired and nailed five more enemies with Garand shots. Sullivan nailed a couple enemies with Thompson fire as Miller shot a few more Japanese, then Sullivan gunned down a couple other soldiers as well. A machine gun blazed towards us, pinning a couple friendlies, so I aimed and shot the gunner, and in vicious fighting, the Marines fired gunfire that nailed multiple Japanese and shot up positions. I fired Garand shots that riddled and destroyed a couple more positions as Miller fired BAR fire and shot several more Japanese and Sullivan gunned a few others down, then I fired and shot six more Japanese with Garand fire. A machine gun blazed at me and drove me to cover, but as Sullivan and Miller fired cover at the nest, I retaliated by aiming and shooting the gunner and his crewman. The Marines fired gunfire that cut numerous more Japanese down as I shot five more enemies, then as the Marine fired cover shots that riddled Japanese positions, I fired and shot up a couple nests.

"Die, you dirty Jap bastards!" a Marine said.

"Burn their nests," another Marine said, "Destroy their machine guns!"

"I'll kill every one of you fucking bastards!" a third Marine shouted.

The Japanese defenses had diminished greatly, and we all kept moving up the sandy beach as strong and furiously determined as ever. We kept firing gunshots that cut more Japanese soldiers to pieces and shooting up positions, and soon, after much vicious fighting, we cleared away the beach defenses and moved up on the grasslands.

I brandished my Thompson as Miller, Sullivan and I moved up onto the grasslands, with all the numerous Marines following after us. We all moved across the grasslands and into the jungles of the island.

"Why did they send us here?" Miller asked.

"Brass wants us to raid the nearby coastal town," Sullivan answered, "Take out supply holds, eliminate the garrison and divert Tojo's attention back to the Southern end of the island."

"...Simple enough idea." Miller said.

"We succeed here, life'll be much easier for the rest of the division," Sullivan said, "Once we're done, we make our way back and regroup with Marines to the North."

The Marines and I made our way down a pathway with different palm trees lining each side. We moved quickly but also with caution for any enemies... Cause surely enough, Japanese troops made an ambush on this jungle tree lined pathway. So we made a stand to fight back.

"Shit, ambush" Miller said, "Jap infantry!"

"Kill these fucking bastards!" a Marine shouted.

As Japanese soldiers appeared on the pathway and in the trees to the sides, they fired rifle shots from their positions at our advancing Marines. In response, we Marines all fired gunfire back at the Japanese in the trees and on the path, with Marines positioning themselves on the pathway and nearby plants to fire more intense rifle fire at enemy soldiers. As vicious fighting raged, I gunned down enemies in the trees as Miller shot a few other soldiers, then I fired and shot four more soldiers in the trees. The Marines all kept firing intense rifle fire from their positions and shooting numerous Japanese in the trees while I fired and shot four more Japanese as the Marines kept firing gunfire that raked and pinned enemy soldiers and positions in the trees. As I shot an enemy by a tree, several friendlies were shot by enemy rifle fire, but I gunned two enemies down by a couple trees as Sullivan and Miller fired their guns and nailed several Japanese, then I shot two more soldiers to the right. The Marines all fired gunfire that nailed multiple more Japanese in the trees and on the path, then we moved up further, encountering more resistance. As the Japanese fired shots from the trees, the Marines positioned themselves on the pathway and fired intense rifle fire that riddled Japanese soldiers and positions in the surrounding trees, then I shot four others.

Fierce fighting raged as we kept fighting off the Japanese ambushes from the surrounding trees, but we just kept fighting hard to fend them off, with me shooting two more by a couple trees. A midst the enemy gunshots raining all over them, the Marines fired intense rifle fire at the trees and shot multiple Japanese soldiers, then I shot four more enemies with my Thompson. Miller shot several more Japanese with BAR fire as Sullivan gunned a couple others down, then I shot two more enemies on the pathway. Enemy gunshots still blazed all over us, so the Marines fired intense gunfire that shot up multiple Japanese in the trees as Miller, Sullivan and I fired intense cover at enemies on the pathway. As I shot four more enemies in the trees, Sullivan shot a few soldiers while Miller fired BAR fire that nailed several Japanese. I then gunned two more down on the pathway before shooting another enemy by a tree while the Marines fired gunfire that cut numerous Japanese down on the pathway. I then shot another two soldiers on the path as the Marines fired cover that raked enemy positions, then I shot another two enemies at the right.

"Burn these Tojo fuckers!" a Marine said.

After much hard fighting, we shot up every last enemy soldier in the trees and on the pathway, letting us move on. We all moved down the pathway until we came out onto a field just filled with grass and different scattered plants.

Once we came into the fields, however, we found a Japanese trench line laying before us, filled with riflemen and machine gunners. All were just poised to fend off any who dare attempt to confront them... That said, we dared to.

"Japanese trench line," Miller said, "Enemy infantry lining it!"

"Let's burn 'em," Sullivan spoke, "Marines, attack!"

We Marines all charged at the trench, firing rifle fire at the enemy defensive line... And immediately, we got their response, as the trench of Japanese soldiers all fired immense gunfire that cut numerous friendlies down. Still, we moved forward, with most of the men taking cover by plants and rocks and then firing gunshots back that raked the trench. The enemy trench line blazed fiery shots that pinned us down, so in retaliation, I fired Thompson fire and shot six Japanese in the trench, then the Marines all fired immense gunfire from their positions and shot multiple Japanese soldiers in the trench as well. Vicious fighting raged as we Marines all kept braving enemy bullets and firing shots that riddled the enemy trench, raking and pinning Japanese soldiers. Miller shot a few more Japanese as Sullivan gunned several enemies down, then Miller fired and nailed a few more soldiers. I gunned two enemies down before shooting a machine gunner as the Marines fired intense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces. I gunned down two more Japanese as Miller and Sullivan fired shots that riddled several enemies, then I shot five more enemies with Thompson fire before aiming and gunning two Japanese down.

The Marines all kept charging and firing intense rifle shots at the Japanese trench, but the enemy soldiers kept firing desperate gunshots that cut multiple friendlies down. In response, I shot another machine gunner, then gunned two soldiers down in the trench as Miller shot a few other Japanese. Hard, vicious fighting went on as the Marines all fired immense gunfire that raked and pinned the Japanese soldiers in the trench, with Miller, Sullivan and I firing cover shots. I then fired and shot five more enemies as the Marines fired rifle fire that cut multiple Japanese to shreds, some bullets ripping off limbs from Japanese soldiers. I gunned two enemies down as Miller shot several more Japanese, then Sullivan gunned a few soldiers down as I shot two more enemy soldiers in the trench. While I fired cover shots, Miller shot a few more enemies, then I fired Thompson fire and nailed six Japanese in the trench before us. With vicious fighting raging, the Marines fired gunfire that shot numerous Japanese in the trench while I gunned two others down before shooting a machine gunner, with Miller and Sullivan firing cover shots.

"Shit," a furious Marine said, "Jap infantry!"

"Kill all these dirty Jap bastards!" another Marine shouted.

As desperate enemy gunshots blazed, we simply braved past it and fired more immense gunfire that shot most remaining Japanese in the trench, severely diminishing their resistance. Soon, we cleared away the last of the trench defenders, allowing us to move forward past the grasslands.

"Lookout for any more ambushes," Sullivan said, "We should be nearing the town."

Coming onto another pathway lined with palm trees and plants, Sullivan ordered us to hold here. As Marines positioned themselves on the pathway, that's when Japanese infantry started coming out to attack.

"Shit," Miller said, "Fucking kill these dirty bastards!"

As the Japanese came in on the path, we Marines fired intense gunfire and shot multiple enemies in a fierce skirmish. As we defended ourselves, firing more rifle shots at enemy soldiers in the trees and on the pathway, the Japanese kept coming, firing their guns and a few even charging with bayonets... But we just gunned those down. I shot two in the trees as Miller shot a few others, then I fired Thompson shots that nailed four others on the pathway. Sullivan gunned a couple soldiers down as the Marines all fired shots that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers in the trees. I shot two enemies by a few trees and then gunned two more soldiers down at the right while Miller shot a few enemies as well. Japanese soldiers kept blazing shots that rained all over us, so I fired and shot four more enemies in the trees before gunning another soldier down on the pathway as the Marines fired immense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces, some bullets ripping limbs and flesh off enemies. As I gunned two soldiers down in the trees, Sullivan fired and nailed a few more enemies while Miller shot a couple soldiers, then I gunned two more Japanese down in the trees. With the Marines firing more rifle fire from their positions and shooting multiple incoming Japanese, we kept firing gunfire until we eliminated the last of the attackers.

"Burn in Hell, you Jap fuckers!" a Marine shouted.

"Let's hit the fucking village!" Miller said.

With the enemies on this pathway dispatched, we moved on down the pathway and grasslands. As we moved across the fields and paths, we started seeing the town itself. "Town's nearly there," Sullivan stated, "Keep going." ...Eventually, we came right to the town's perimeter, and we all held cover by some trees just next to the town, with me taking out and wielding my Garand rifle.

"There it is," Miller said, "I think."

"Let's get up there," Sullivan spoke, "...Quietly."

The Marines followed the three of us as we made our way over, using the cover of the night to make our approach to some plants and boulders just next to the town. With us all behind this cover, we hid and waited as we spotted two Japanese soldiers on the perimeter of the town.

With us hiding behind the rocks and plants just next to the town, we listened in on the two Japanese soldiers speaking, oblivious to our presence just near them.

"Misuki wa, ima dewa machi no hokusei-gawa no horyo to o tōshitedenakereba narimasen (Misuki should be through with the prisoners at the North West side of town by now)." the first Japanese soldier spoke.

"Anata wa kare ga sorera ni amarini mo muzukashīdarou to wa omowanai, anata wa imasu ka? (You don't think he'd be too hard on them, do you?)" the second Japanese asked.

"Watashi wa Misuki o shitte ireba, watashi wa hontōni sō wa omoimasen (If I know Misuki, I really don't think so), the first Japanese soldier said, then spoke, "Mata, sorera no shiroi gaijin wa karera ni nani ga okoru ka ki ni kemono, dōbutsu... Yori sukoshi o shite imasu ka? (Besides, those white Gaijins are little more than brutes, animals... Who cares what happens to them?)"

While these Japanese soldiers were speaking, we waited behind them to strike. Miller quietly went up to Sullivan and asked him, "What are they saying?"

"They got prisoners to the North West of the town." Sullivan responded.

"Are they part of this mission?" Miller asked, seeming rather eager for them to be so.

"...They are now," Sullivan said, "Let's get ready to take these bastards out."

Miller and I took out our knives and we quietly went at the two Japanese soldiers. I went up to the second one, punched him and stabbed him in the chest while Miller stabbed and tackled the first Japanese soldier, fiercely stabbing him again a few times as he pinned the enemy.

"There's two major Japanese supply holds we need to destroy," Sullivan ordered, "Everyone, move into the town."

"Strike the fucking village!" a Marine shouted.

We three lead all the Marines into entering the town, moving down the streets with houses, other small buildings and different palm trees lining both sides of the streets. As we moved in down the streets of the town, Japanese soldiers appeared in the streets and buildings... So we engaged them.

"Shit, Jap infantry!" a Marine warned.

"Kill these bastards!" another Marine said.

We all engaged in vicious street fighting in the town, with Marines firing intense gunfire from their street positions and shooting numerous Japanese soldiers in the streets and buildings. I gunned two enemies down in a building window as Miller then shot a few Japanese, then I fired and nailed five more enemy soldiers. Enemy gunshots rained all over us from the buildings, but the Marines kept firing rifle fire that cut multiple Japanese soldiers down in the streets and buildings. I gunned two soldiers down in a house window as Sullivan shot a few other soldiers, then I shot two more enemies in a different house. Japanese gunshots blazed and struck several friendlies down, so I fired and shot five enemies as the Marines fired intense gunfire that raked Japanese positions in the town. As we moved up the streets, the Marines kept firing fierce rifle fire that shot multiple more Japanese in the streets and buildings in vicious fighting, with me firing and shooting six Japanese soldiers. Miller fired and shot several enemies as Sullivan gunned a few soldiers down, then I shot five more Japanese in the streets with Garand fire. Enemy gunshots still blazed towards us, but the Marines fired immense gunfire back that shot numerous Japanese, then they fired shots that raked and pinned other Japanese as I gunned two soldiers down in a building.

The Marines all kept fighting down the streets, firing immense gunfire at Japanese soldiers and positions in the streets and buildings in a vicious battle as enemy gunshots blazed back towards them. As I shot two more soldiers in a building window, Miller and Sullivan fired cover shots that cut several enemies down, then I fired Garand shots that nailed six more Japanese in the streets. Several Marines were gunned down by enemy shots, but as I gunned two more soldiers down in a building, Miller shot several more enemies, then I fired and nailed five other Japanese in the streets. The Marines fired hails of intense gunfire from their street positions and shot numerous Japanese to pieces in fierce fighting, with Sullivan shooting several enemies as Miller gunned a few others down. I shot two more soldiers in a house as the Marines fired gunfire that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers in the streets and buildings, then I gunned two enemies down as Miller shot a few more soldiers. While Sullivan fired and gunned a few enemies down, I fired and shot six Japanese in the streets as Miller fired and nailed several enemies, then I shot five more enemies with Garand fire while the Marines fired gunfire that cut numerous Japanese down.

"Send these Jap fuckers to Hell!" a Marine shouted.

After some hard fighting, moving past the streets and buildings and shooting any Japanese soldiers in our way, we came upon the first supply hold. As Sullivan fired cover that nailed several enemies, Miller and I fired intense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese, then I rushed over towards the supply hold, entering a door and setting a charge on one of the many crates... I barely managed to get away before the charge went off and blew apart the supply hold into a great many pieces, then we could continue fighting down the streets.

"Keep fighting," a Marine said, "Fire on their fucking positions!"

"Kill all these fucking Jap bastards!" another Marine shouted.

We Marines all kept fighting down the streets, firing gunfire at Japanese soldiers in the buildings and streets. As I shot five more Japanese in a couple different buildings, Miller shot several more enemies with BAR fire while Sullivan gunned a few other soldiers down. As Marines shot more enemies in the buildings and streets, some Japanese came out onto the other end of the street and fired some shots. In return, the Marines positioned themselves and fired intense gunfire back at the Japanese at the other end of the street, with Miller, Sullivan and I firing cover. A fierce skirmish erupted as the Marines and Japanese fired gunshots at each other in the streets, with me shooting enemies. While braving enemy gunshots, the Marines fired gunfire that shot multiple Japanese in the streets, then I shot five other enemies a midst the intense street battle. As enemy shots blazed toward us, the Marines fired rifle fire that riddled more Japanese as I gunned two other soldiers down, then Miller and Sullivan shot a few more remaining soldiers. We all moved down the streets and kept fighting more Japanese soldiers in the buildings, with me firing and shooting five Japanese as the Marines fired gunfire that nailed multiple enemies in fierce fighting. I gunned two soldiers down in a house as Sullivan shot a few soldiers, then I shot two more enemies in a house.

After much vicious, hard fighting, we Marines kept firing gunfire that shot more Japanese in the streets and buildings and then moved further up the town roads. More Japanese appeared in the streets and fired at us, but we positioned ourselves and I fired and shot five enemies in the streets as Miller and Sullivan gunned a few others down, then the Marines fired shots that cut numerous Japanese in the streets to pieces. Several more Marines were gunned down, but we all kept fighting up the streets, with Marines and I firing and shooting more enemies in the houses. Enemy gunshots blazed ans struck several Marines, but I fired Garand fire that shot six Japanese in a few different houses, then the Marines fired gunfire that nailed multiple Japanese. After fierce fighting, we moved up, nearing the second supply hold, with me firing and shooting five more Japanese in the different houses. Eventually, as Miller and Sullivan fired cover, the Marines fired immense gunfire that cut numerous more Japanese. Miller and I fired shots that nailed multiple enemies as Sullivan shot several other soldiers, then as we kept fighting and shooting enemies in the houses and on the streets, we finally came upon the second and last supply hold.

"Eliminate their nests!" a Marine said.

Miller and Sullivan fired cover as I rushed up to the second supply hold and placed a charge on the crates inside. After I rushed to safety, the charge set off and destroyed the hold and its supplies, completing our objective.

"Supply holds are destroyed," Sullivan stated, "Out-fucking-standing!"

"Let's fight our way to the coast line," Miller said, "And those prisoners."

Moving further down the streets, we encountered more Japanese soldiers in the town. The Marines fired intense gunfire and shot numerous Japanese in the streets and houses as I shot five enemies and then Miller fired and nailed several other soldiers while Sullivan gunned a few others down. Japanese gunshots rained all over us, but we braved and evaded past that and kept fighting fiercely up the streets, with Marines firing rifle shots that nailed multiple more Japanese soldiers. As Miller fired his BAR and shot several Japanese, I fired Garand shots that nailed six other enemies as Sullivan gunned a few others down, then the Marines fired rifle fire from their street positions and shot multiple Japanese to pieces, some bullets shredding off bloody flesh. As the Marines kept firing shots that raked Japanese positions and pinned some enemies, I moved further up the street, shooting two soldiers in a house as Miller fired and nailed a few enemies, then I gunned two more down in a different house window. We all kept fighting viciously and furiously up the streets, with Marines firing gunfire that cut numerous Japanese soldiers down while I fired shots that gunned five more enemies down, then we moved up the street.

We Marines all kept fighting up the streets, firing shots at Japanese soldiers in the houses to the sides. In the vicious battle, the Marines fired immense hails of gunfire that shot multiple Japanese in the houses and streets, with me firing and shooting five enemies as Miller and Sullivan fired cover that raked enemy positions. We all kept fighting up the street, with Marines firing shots that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers in the houses, then Miller and I fired intense gunfire that cut multiple enemies down as Sullivan fired cover. As the Marines fired rifle fire that nailed multiple Japanese in the houses, we moved up to a street where we encountered more Japanese at the other end of the road. Positioning themselves at our end, the Marines fired rifle shots that riddled Japanese soldiers at the other end of the street, though enemy soldiers fired back. A midst the fierce street battle, with the two sides firing gunshots at each other, I fired Garand shots that nailed six enemies in the streets as Miller and Sullivan fired cover shots, then the Marines fired immense gunfire that shot numerous Japanese in the street.

"Shit," Miller said, "Jap infantry in the fucking village!"

As we kept fighting Japanese soldiers from our positions in the street, suddenly, a Chi Ha tank came rolling in at the enemy side in the street, firing a shell that took out a few Marines as we kept fighting the Japanese infantry.

"Fuck, Japanese tank," Sullivan said, then started looking around, then spoke, "...Henderson, you and Miller head to the building to the left and flank that God damned son of a bitch!"

Immediately, Miller and I went over to the left building, evading machine gun fire as we entered the two story house. Immediately, Miller was checking the first floor as I headed up the stairs to check around the second story of the house... And immediately, I found some trouble, in the form of a lone Japanese soldier with a mustache and a field cap rushing at me with a sharp, menacing Katana in hand.

I dodged a swing from his sword, only for him to bring it down on me, but I blocked the blade with my rifle. As his sword and my rifle clashed, we struggled hard, with me pushing the rifle against the blade. Eventually, I swiped the Katana out of his hands, but the soldier hit my stomach with his fist before seizing hold of my rifle as I still held onto it, then we wrestled fiercely over the rifle. In the vicious fighting, the two of us kept wrestling very hard over the rifle, and after much struggling, I punched my enemy's stomach and then threw him down with the rifle, though losing my grip on the gun as well. The Japanese soldier immediately grabbed his nearby Katana and rushed at me, but I charged as well and seized hold of the sword's hilt just before he could bring it down, then we wrestled fiercely some more. With both of us grasping the Katana's hilt, the two of us wrestled very hard, each struggling for the sword... But after much vicious wrestling, I kicked him down by his stomach and then firmly grasped the Katana.

As my opponent warily stood back up, I charged and swung the Katana. Even though he dodged the swing, I then thrust the sword right into the soldier's stomach. As blood poured from the soldier's mouth, I pushed him back with the sword and threw him out of a window on the other side of the building, away from the street, killing him.

"Burn those Jap bastards, Eddie!" Miller said as he was coming into the room.

I looked around, and to my apparent luck, a captured bazooka was laying against the wall. I grabbed the launcher, and then I aimed at the Chi Ha tank in the streets below, firing a rocket that damaged the tank and sent a couple enemies flying. Miller lighted a Molotov cocktail and threw at Japanese soldiers in the street, splashing flames on a couple Japanese, then I fired another shell that blew apart the tank, finishing it for good. With Miller and me firing cover from the house, Sullivan and the Marines fired shots that gunned down the remaining enemies in the streets.

With the Japanese resistance here finished, Miller and I went back out into the street to meet with Sullivan. "Let's search around for those prisoners." Sullivan spoke.

While many of the Marines remained in their street positions, Sullivan, Miller and I moved down a street with some other Marines, rather carefully and silently. We came up to some buildings, hiding behind them while peering around to see just what we were looking for.

"I'll be doggone." Sullivan said.

We looked over from behind our cover, and saw an infuriating site... Several Japanese soldiers were fiendishly torturing captured American prisoners tied up to poles, with Japanese soldiers bashing them hard with bamboo sticks or cutting them with knives, creating immense suffering and pain.

As the Japanese soldiers were cruelly torturing the prisoners, I peered through my binoculars to see two particular Japanese soldiers, officers actually. One officer was of medium height with a slim, smooth, clean shaven face and angry, thin eyes, covered by glasses. He wore a lieutenant soldier's uniform and a field cap on his head, while keeping a Nambu pistol at his side, just waiting to draw it.

The other officer with him was more prominent looking. He was firm looking, standing six feet tall and wearing the uniform of a colonel. Unlike the field cap worn by the other officer, this man wore a service cap with the red band and black leather visor and kept a Katana sheathed at his side. However, as I looked over his face, his deep, focused eyes, his mustache, I remembered him thoroughly... He was the officer in the picture from Tarawa, the one of him with the Nazi in China.

Standing before a prisoner on his knees away from the others tied to poles, the officer with glasses and field cap slapped the prisoner hard, then the officer spoke, "Anata ga shiro no gaijin inu, watashitachi kara kono shima o toru koto ga dekiru to omoimasu!? (You think you can take this island from us, white gaijin dog?!)"

"Go to Hell, you Jap pig!" the prisoner responded defiantly.

The officer with glasses then stated, "Anata Ōbei dewa, Nihon no yūi-sei o kakunin suru koto o kyohi shi, kawarini anata ga sorera no ototta, fuketsuna Chūgoku to no kyōkan o shimesu koto ga, kokoro no totemo yowaidesu! (You dare challenge us! You Westerners are so weak minded, that you refuse to see the superiority of the Japanese, and instead you show sympathy with those inferior, filthy Chinese!)"

The angry prisoner turned, furiously spitting in the officer's face, and as the officer attempted to retaliate by seizing the prisoner's hair, the other officer with the service cap, the colonel, stepped in.

"Chūi Misuki wa... Sore wa subete no kotodeshou (Lieutenant Misuki... That'll be all)." The colonel spoke to the officer with the glasses and field cap.

"...Hai, taisa Shirasaki (Yes, Colonel Shirasaki)." the officer named Misuki responded, stepping back.

As Misuki stood back, the officer named Shirasaki stepped in front of the prisoner on his knees. He then spoke in plain English, "What did you expect to find? I've been keeping steps ahead of you already, so anything you could possibly be looking for is gone... All your effort, the sacrifices of your men, they've been for nothing."

"I'll tell you nothing," the prisoner said, "Your empire will fall... We'll get our revenge."

"That remains to be seen, "Shirasaki responded, "My colleagues and I will ensure that our empire remains, even rises... It's rather tragic that you Americans have chosen to side with the Chankoros instead of us, and now you and your countrymen will have to realize that the hard way as we continue to defend ourselves and our liberation."

"You're not victims, you're not liberators," the prisoner responded as Shirasaki turned away from him, "You're murderers, and you'll get what you deserve."

Shirasaki didn't really listen but then turned back to Misuki, unsheathing and handing his Katana to the second officer. "Kare o jikkō shimasu (Execute him)," Shirasaki spoke, as he handed his Katana, then started walking to a Type 95 Kurogane "Watashi wa anata ga kanryō shitara, anata wa shitagau koto o kitai... Watashi no kyūka o totte imasu (I'm taking my leave... I expect you to follow when you're done)."

Shirasaki then entered the Kurogane and then he slowly sped off in the car down the road, in the direction of the coast. At the meantime, on our end, we watched as Misuki held the Katana firmly in his hand and approached the prisoner on his knees.

"Burn in Hell." the knelt prisoner spoke in one last act of defiance.

Once standing before the prisoner, Misuki raised the Katana over his head... And in one sharp swing, he brought it down on the prisoner's neck, slicing his head clean off and leaving the body to slump over with blood pouring from the neck like a gushing fountain... I watched Miller get very angry at this, but he had better control of his temper at this point. Besides, as the few other Japanese soldiers aimed their guns and bayonets at the rest of the prisoners under Misuki's order, Miller wouldn't have to wait long.

"Open fire!" Sullivan ordered, furiously

"I'll burn you fucking animals!" Miller shouted.

Both Miller and Sullivan fired furious gunshots that cut a couple of the enemy soldiers down. Sullivan blazed cover as Miller and I charged at the remaining few enemies by the prisoners, with Miller rushing and punching a Japanese soldier down, then he tackled and punched another Japanese a couple times to knock him out, then I went up to and slashed an enemy down with my knife.

"Die, you dirty evil Japanese pigs!" a Marine shouted, firing his gun at remaining enemies.

However, as soon as we started attacking, we saw Misuki immediately make a run for it, fleeing as fast as he could down the road to follow after Shirasaki. As Miller and I shot a couple more enemies, with me slicing another Japanese down with my knife, Sullivan, Miller and I immediately started giving chase.

"The rest of you, help these guys," Sullivan instructed to the other Marines, "Miller, Henderson, let's get that bastard before he can get away!"

Miller, Sullivan and I, along with several other Marines, rushed down the street, chasing the Japanese officer as he was running away, but as we moved down the streets, Japanese soldiers came in to confront our pursuit.

We all fired shots at incoming enemy soldiers while we chased after Misuki, shooting anyone opposing our way. I gunned two soldiers down as Sullivan fired and nailed a few others, then I shot two more incoming enemies. Miller fired and shot several Japanese as I then shot four more enemy soldiers as we moved up down the street, with Marines furiously firing shots that raked and pinned any opposing Japanese. I gunned two more soldiers down and then we rushed up the street, chasing the distant Misuki, but more enemies came in to stop us. Miller and Sullivan fired cover as I shot four more enemies with furious Garand fire, then the Marines fired gunfire that cut multiple Japanese to pieces, some bullets slicing off limbs. We kept rushing down the street, with me shooting two more enemies as we still saw the fleeing Misuki, just a short distance away. We were nearing the coastline now as I gunned another soldier down and the Marines kept firing shots that nailed more incoming soldiers. While I shot two enemies, Miller and Sullivan fired and nailed several others as I gunned two more down, then we kept pursuing Misuki down the streets until we came close to the coast, which Misuki had reached already.

"That coward scum is getting away," Sullivan said, "Hurry and catch him!"

Getting near the coast, we spotted Misuki himself getting into a plane, a Nakajima A6M2-N. He was immediately preparing the seaplane to fly off in a big hurry, and we could even see the propeller spin.

"He's headed for that Rufe," Sullivan stated, "Run for it!"

We all rushed over to the plane, furiously shooting several more Japanese soldiers in the way... The plane started moving as we were reaching the coast... But it was of no avail, for once we got there, Misuki's seaplane was already off the water and flying through the skies, away from us. Sullivan blazed a few desperate rounds, but the plane was too far out of reach, and it flew off.

"Fucking damn it!" Miller shouted in frustration.

Sullivan looked over and spotted three Japanese PT boats also sitting on the coast. "Come on," Sullivan said, "We can still get back to our forces."

"...All right." Miller said with a sigh, though still a bit frustrated.

Miller, Sullivan and I boarded one PT boat, with Miller ripping off the Rising Sun flag on the pole and throwing it into the water as Sullivan started up the boat. The several Marines and few rescued prisoners came in and embarked on the other two boats, switching them on... With all three of our boats running, the motors growling, we all started sailing the boats across the waters, aiming to reach the Northern side of the island and regroup with the rest of the Marine forces on Tinian... Then we can work to eliminate the remaining enemy garrison.


	25. M-11: Terrible Trouble in Tinian - Pt 2

Sailing along the coast was a rather peaceful moment...

We sped down the water in the PT boat, sailing the seas just off the coast of the island. As we moved along, with Miller and I driving the boat, Sullivan was speaking on the boat's radio to the nearby Marines to the North end of the island, where we were headed.

"Baker-Two-Bravo, report," Sullivan said, getting nothing as he was finding the correct frequency, "I repeat, Baker-Two-Bravo, report... This is Sergeant Thomas Sullivan, Second Marine Division, do you read me?"

It took a little while as he kept tuning the radio, but after some static, he finally managed to get a response, "Sergeant, Sullivan," the responding Marine answered, "This is Colonel Johnson, we read you."

"Great, my boys and I just finished our raid," Sullivan continued, "We're coming in at sea to land just South of White beach... We're in captured Jap patrol boats, three of 'em."

"Okay," Johnson responded, "We'll see ya' soon... Out."

Sullivan got off the radio and walked over towards us, speaking, "We're comin' up on the landing point, get ready."

"You sure they won't fire on us?" Miller asked.

"...They shouldn't," Sullivan said, "He gave me some assurance."

Our three boats kept speeding down the waters off the coast of the island, looking for our landing spot. After some more sailing, we eventually came to our desired destination and made for the coast, meeting several Marines waiting for us. Once landing, we all disembarked from our boats to be greeted by the shore party.

"You Sullivan," one of the Marines spoke, "We've been waiting for you."

"What's going on?" Sullivan asked.

"You've arrived just in time," the Marine answered, "The Japs are just about to make an attack on our positions, they're just up this pathway here."

"Lead us to 'em." Sullivan ordered.

Miller, Sullivan and I, along with all the Marines with us, followed the shore party up the pathway until we came upon a field. Here, we saw different foxholes, nests and other friendly positions filled with Marines, riflemen, machine gunners, all waiting there for any attack.

Upon reaching this field, we saw the different positions coming under distant enemy machine gun fire and several mortar shells. In response, a couple nests fired machine guns back at any distant Japanese forces while Miller, Sullivan and I entered a couple of the foxholes.

"They should be coming here any minute." Miller warned.

"Marines, everyone, get ready!" Sullivan ordered.

With the Marines all positioning themselves in the different foxholes and nests, they all aimed their guns down the field, awaiting any further ambushes. Soon the enemy barrage stopped, and we knew what was next, for as I aimed my Thompson, waves of Japanese soldiers started coming in across the field to engage our positions.

"Shit, here they come," a Marine warned, "Fire on them!"

"I'll send you Jap bastards to Hell!" another Marine said.

The Marines all fired immense hails of gunfire from their positions, shooting numerous incoming Japanese soldiers as a ferocious battle commenced. More and more enemy infantry kept charging in, but we Marines kept firing intense rifle fire that cut multiple Japanese to bloody shreds, some bullets tearing flesh and limbs off of enemy soldiers. A midst the vicious fighting with Marines defending their positions, Miller and I fired gunfire that shot multiple Japanese soldiers while Sullivan fired and nailed several more enemies. As the Marines kept firing gunfire that cut numerous more Japanese to pieces, I fired Thompson shots that nailed six enemies while the Marines fired gunshots that raked and pinned more Japanese soldiers. Miller shot several more enemies with BAR fire as Sullivan gunned a few soldiers down as well, then I shot five more Japanese coming at my position. The Marines all kept firing immense rifle fire that shot up more incoming Japanese, riddling them to shreds as the fierce battle heated up. Miller shot a few enemies as Sullivan gunned a couple soldiers down, then I fired and nailed five more Japanese as Sullivan shot a couple more soldiers, then the Marines fired gunfire that shot multiple Japanese.

The vicious battle kept raging as the Marines all kept fighting hard to defend their positions, firing immense gunfire that raked and pinned more incoming Japanese, riddling them to pieces. As we fired gunshots at the Japanese to keep them back, however, enemy soldiers kept coming in waves, firing rifle shots back that rained over our positions. After I gunned two enemies down, the Marines fired hails of rifle fire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces, then I fired and shot six more Japanese. Miller shot a few enemies as Sullivan fired and gunned several other soldiers down as the Marines fired cover shots that riddled enemy troops. However, as I gunned two enemies down, Japanese soldiers blazed rounds back that struck down several friendlies, so I shot another two soldiers as well. As fierce fighting kept up, the Marines fired more immense gunfire that cut numerous more Japanese down, while I shot five enemies with Thompson fire. Miller fired and shot several Japanese as Sullivan gunned a few enemies down, then Miller fired and nailed a few more soldiers. I gunned two more enemies down as the Marines fired gunshot that nailed numerous Japanese soldiers, then I shot five more enemies.

Still, the Japanese kept coming in waves, and though they remained determined, our firepower kept them back, severely diminishing their assaults. As I gunned two soldiers down, the Marines still fired shots that cut multiple Japanese to pieces. However, as friendly soldiers kept firing rifle fire that raked and pinned incoming Japanese, enemy soldiers fired shots back that gunned multiple Marines down. In response, I shot five enemies as Miller fired and nailed several enemies, then the Marines fired gunfire that cut numerous more enemies down. Miller and I fired cover shots that raked Japanese soldiers as incredibly hard, vicious fighting went on to defend the Marine positions... But we were gaining more momentum as the enemy offense dwindled greatly. I gunned two more soldiers down as Sullivan shot several enemies, then Miller fired and nailed a few other Japanese as I shot two more incoming soldiers. Fierce fighting still raged, but we we're driving the enemy offensive back... And as I fired Thompson fire and shot six more soldiers, the Marines fired immense gunfire that nailed multiple Japanese.

"Die in Hell, you Tojo fuckers!" a Marine shouted.

"Keep fighting," another Marine said furiously, "Fire on them!"

"I'll kill all you Jap bastards!" a third Marine shouted.

The Marines all kept firing gunfire that cut more Japanese to shreds while Miller and I fired shots that nailed multiple enemies as Sullivan gunned several others down with Thompson fire. Eventually, after much hard fighting, the Japanese assault was eliminated and thrown back... We had defended our positions, and now we could take the fight to them with even more fiery determination.

"Move forward," Sullivan ordered, "Take out any Japanese defenses in our way!"

With the three of us leading, we and the Marines came out of our positions and moved across the grasslands. As we moved across the terrain, we entered some lands covered in tall grasses reaching our knees, different plants and many palm trees placed all around the area.

Once entering this rougher terrain of different plants and palm trees, we soon came upon Japanese positions in these lands here, different infantry and machine gun nests laying around with riflemen guarding them.

"Shit, Jap positions!" Miller said, "Eliminate them!"

Immediately, we lead the Marines in engaging the Japanese positions, with us braving enemy machine gun fire and then firing shots at the Japanese defenses, commencing a vicious battle.

"Burn these Jap bastards!" a Marine said.

"Fire," another Marine stated, "Destroy their positions!"

"Slice them to pieces!" a third Marine spoke.

Coming into the tree and plant laden grasslands, we Marines fired intense gunfire at Japanese positions, shooting some of the nests to pieces. In much vicious fighting, the Marines kept firing rifle fire that shot numerous Japanese soldiers and riddled different positions, though the enemy soldiers blazed some rounds back that struck several friendlies in return. As the Marines kept firing gunfire that raked and pinned the Japanese positions, I gunned two soldiers down and shot up a position while Miller fired and nailed a few enemies. I fired and nailed four more soldiers as Sullivan shot a couple other soldiers, then I gunned down two other soldiers while Miller shot a few more enemies. I then shot up and destroyed a couple Japanese positions as the Marines fired immense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese soldiers to pieces, then I shot four more Japanese in the fierce battle. As Miller and Sullivan shot several more enemies, the Japanese fired gunshots from their positions that nailed multiple friendlies, but I fired and shot four other enemies. The Marines then fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese and shot up several positions as I gunned two more enemies down. With Marines shooting up and eliminating some more positions, I then fired and nailed four other Japanese in the fierce skirmish, then shot up a position.

Miller and I kept firing gunfire that nailed numerous Japanese down and shot up different positions while Sullivan fired and gunned several soldiers down. The Marines kept firing gunfire that cut more Japanese soldiers to pieces and riddled different positions. Enemy gunshots still rained all around, so as Miller and Sullivan fired cover at enemy machine gun nests, the Marines fired immense rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese in the fierce battle. I shot up a position and then gunned two more soldiers down. Miller fired BAR shots that nailed several Japanese as Sullivan gunned down a few others, then I aimed and shot a machine gunner blazing at me. The Marines kept firing hails of intense gunfire at Japanese positions, shooting numerous Japanese soldiers, but the enemy troops fired some shots back that gunned multiple friendlies down in return. As a response, I shot four Japanese as Miller fired and nailed few others, then I shot up and destroyed a couple more positions. Sullivan shot several Japanese in the fierce battle as I fired and nailed four other soldiers, then Miller shot several more Japanese with BAR fire. I gunned two more soldiers down and shot up a position, then the Marine fired gunfire that nailed numerous Japanese in the fierce battle as I shot up and eliminated another position before gunning two other Japanese down as well.

We Marines all kept fighting fiercely, firing immense gunfire that cut more and more Japanese soldiers to shreds and shooting up more positions. As we braved more incoming enemy gunshots, we moved slowly across this terrain, fighting hard past any remaining defenses. As the Marines fired more intense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese in the fierce fighting, I shot up a couple more positions and then gunned two more soldiers down. Miller shot several more Japanese as I fired and nailed four other soldiers, then Sullivan gunned a few others down. Several Marines were gunned down, but I aimed and shot a machine gunner blazing toward us, then the Marines fired rifle shots that nailed multiple more enemies in the vicious fighting. In the intense fighting, I gunned two soldiers down by a tree as Miller shot a few others and riddled a couple positions, then I fired and nailed two other soldiers by a couple trees. As enemy gunshots still blazed at us, the Marines fired more intense gunfire that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers, so I shot four more enemies while Miller and Sullivan fired cover shots. The Marines kept firing gunfire that cut numerous more Japanese down as I shot up and destroyed a couple more positions.

"Eliminate their fucking positions!" a Marine shouted.

"I'll kill you dirty Jap bastards!" another Marine said as he fired his gun.

With the enemy defenses dwindling severely, we braved the desperate enemy gunshots and fired more gunfire that eliminated any remaining defenders, with Miller and Sullivan firing cover shots. With the Marines firing intense gunfire that shot more Japanese soldiers down, I fired Thompson fire and nailed numerous enemies and then shot up and eliminated several more positions, while other Marines fired gunfire that riddled and destroyed other different positions, leaving the enemy presence here dwindling greatly. As we kept fighting, the Marine and I shot up more Japanese soldiers and any remaining positions, finally destroying the last of the enemy defenses.

"We've finished their fucking defenses!" Miller stated excitedly.

"They're destroyed," Sullivan said rather jubilantly, "Let's move out of the jungle."

All the Marines followed us as we moved past the destroyed and burnt out enemy positions and ran through the jungle pathways... Eventually, we made our way back to a large field covered in green grass.

"Tanks will be here eventually," Sullivan spoke, "The last of their defenses should be up ahead, let's get 'em."

Once emerging back onto the grasslands, we moved forward through them, not taking long for us to come upon a Japanese trench line, filled with riflemen and all waiting to stop our advance... Just what we we're looking for.

"There's the trench," Miller said, "Let's get the bastards!"

"Burn in Hell, you dirty Jap fuckers!" a Marine said.

Miller, Sullivan and I lead the Marines in charging the Japanese trench line. As we moved in, the enemy soldiers fired hails of gunfire that cut numerous Marines down. Immediately, the Marines all lay on the ground, moving along the field while others took cover behind plants and rocks. From there, the Marines fired rifle shots at the Japanese trench, raking the enemy positions and pinning some soldiers. Enemy rifle shots rained heavily over us as I gunned two soldiers down in the trench. As the Marines all fired gunfire that riddled Japanese soldiers and positions, I fired Thompson shots that nailed four enemies as Miller and Sullivan shot several Japanese, then I shot four more enemies in the trench. The Marines all kept firing gunfire that nailed multiple Japanese in the trench while braving more incoming enemy gunshots, then I gunned two more soldiers down. Miller shot several Japanese as I fired and nailed four more enemies, then Sullivan gunned a few other soldiers down. As Marines kept firing gunshots that raked the Japanese trench, enemy fire blazed and nailed multiple friendlies. In response, I shot two more soldiers in the trench as Miller and Sullivan fired cover shots, then I gunned two more enemies down.

We kept braving the enemy machine gun and rifle fire, moving through the field. I gunned down a machine gunner as the Marines fired immense gunfire which cut down numerous Japanese in the trench, then I shot two more soldiers while the Marines kept firing intense gunfire that raked and pinned the enemy trench defenders. While braving enemy gunshots raining all over them, the Marines kept firing rifle fire that cut more and more Japanese soldiers in the trench to pieces, with me shooting four more soldiers as well. The enemy defense was starting to dwindle, yet they continued to hold on, blazing more rounds to stop our advance... But we persisted furiously, with me gunning two soldiers down as Miller fired and shot several Japanese, then I shot two more enemies while Sullivan gunned a few soldiers down with his Thompson, then I fired shots that nailed four more Japanese. Fierce fighting raged as we were firing shots that diminished the enemy defenders, with me gunning two enemies down as Miller shot a few enemies, then Sullivan fired and nailed several more soldiers. As I shot another machine gunner, the Marines all fired gunfire that cut multiple Japanese down in the trench, with me shooting two more soldiers... Our hard fighting paid off, for the enemy trench was now severely diminished.

"Shit... Die, you fucking bastards!" a Marine shouted.

After more fighting raged, we finally cleared the trench of its defenders, the Marines shooting or stabbing any remaining enemies with bayonets. With the trench now cleared away we proceeded to move on to the fields before us, with more reinforcing Marines following, and even several Sherman tanks rolling in.

"Move up," Sullivan ordered, "Their headquarters are the next target."

With us beginning to move across the field with the Sherman tanks, a Crocodile Sherman rolled up to a Japanese nest and activated its flamethrower, spraying flames that incinerated multiple Japanese, setting them burning in engulfing fire. A couple of Japanese Chi Ha tanks, however, and attacked by shooting off a couple shells. The Crocodile Sherman fired shells from its main gun and destroyed one of the Chi Ha tanks, but the other one fired a shell that somewhat damaged the Sherman. Luckily, the Crocodile fired back and destroyed the last Chi Ha.

The Sherman tank then rolled over a couple Japanese soldiers attempting to escape, crushing them under the treads before stopping. Although the tank was only very lightly damaged, the crew opened the hatch, two of them dragging an injured crewman out. The man was missing both his legs, blood pouring and gushing from the torn flesh, so Sullivan, Miller and I walked over towards them to check on them.

"How's he doing?" Sullivan asked.

"We gotta get him to medic quick," a crewman answered, "And we need someone to replace him."

"...Henderson and I can," Sullivan suddenly spoke, "He's had some experience operating one of the few Shermans on Guadalcanal... You up to drive, Eddie."

I nodded and then we proceeded to climb aboard the tank as a couple corpsmen tended to the wounded tank crewman. Sullivan got in the driver's seat as I manned the gunner's, with the other two crewmen operating other controls. Miller climbed on and sat on the back of the tank, and with everyone in place, we all started driving the Crocodile Sherman tank across the island, looking to destroy any hardened Japanese defenses.

"There's a good number of Ha Gos and Chi Has in the area between us and their headquarters," Sullivan stated, "Those cowardly Japs will also be hiding in machine gun bunkers and trenches up ahead."

Immediately, we got the Crocodile Sherman tank rolling up the grasslands, with several other Shermans following and even some other Marines coming in after us as well. As we moved up the grasslands, immediately, enemy tanks appeared to try and stop us.

"Enemy tanks incoming!" Sullivan stated.

"Strike the bastards," Miller said, "Hit them!"

I fired a shell and destroyed a Chi Ha and then dodged a projectile and fired a couple more shells that decimated another tank. Fierce fighting erupted as the other Shermans fired cover shells at Japanese tanks, damaging them while the enemy tanks fired shells back. I came up to an enemy pillbox that blazed machine gun fire, so I fired a shell that damaged the pillbox. As it still blazed shots, my tank went up and sprayed the flamethrower into the bunker window, incinerating the occupants and bursting the inside with flames. As I then shot up another tank, we came upon some Japanese machine gun nests blazing shots at us, so we fired shells that blasted the nests to pieces. Some more enemy tanks came in and fired shells at us, but we withstood them, then I had my tank fired shells back that destroyed a couple of the Japanese tanks, bursting them to ruins, then we destroyed a pillbox.

We kept fighting in the fierce skirmish with our tank, fighting enemy tanks and infantry positions. As my Sherman withstood an attack and blasted away another tank, we came up to a trench line filled with Japanese soldiers, with them blazing shots. While he kept riding on the back of our Sherman, Miller fired intense BAR fire that riddled the trench line and shot multiple Japanese soldiers. As we went up, a few enemies tried to flee, but we then fired the Sherman's flamethrower and sprayed fire that incinerated numerous Japanese soldiers in the trench, engulfing them in flames that burned them alive. We then moved on and fired at a Japanese tank, blasting it part while another tank came in and blazed a shell, but my vehicle braved the attack and fired a shell back that decimated the enemy.

More enemy tanks, Chi Has and Ha Gos, came in and fired shells towards us, while my tank and several other Shermans fired intense hails of shells back. As the two sides' tanks were firing shells at each other in a vicious battle, a few Shermans were blasted away by enemy shells, but as my tank fired cover, the Shermans fired intense shells that hit and destroyed several Japanese tanks. Another Sherman was destroyed, but as my tank fired and blasted a couple more tanks with shells, the Shermans fired hails of shells that blasted several more tanks.

"Keep moving," Sullivan ordered, "Get to their base!"

Driving near an enemy bunker as it blazed shots towards me, my tank fired a couple shells that destroyed the bunker, then we came upon a trench filled with Japanese infantry. My tank fired a couple shells that blasted parts of the trench and then we sprayed fire with the flamethrower, burning away the Japanese soldiers in the trench with incinerating flames. With that, an enemy tank came in and attacked, but we fired back and destroyed the enemy armor. As we moved up, we fired shells that destroyed a couple more pillboxes, then we shot up machine gun nests with shells while finishing other infantry positions off with sprays from the flamethrower, engulfing the enemies in fire. We then drove near another machine gun bunker, but we blasted parts off with a shell and then burnt the occupants with the flamethrower, then we moved up.

Eventually, we came upon a pillbox that fired at us. Luckily, our vehicle withstood the machine gun fire and then we fired back, blasting the pillbox to smouldering pieces. A couple more tanks came in and fired shells, but we withstood their attacks and fired shells back that destroyed one of the enemy tanks and damaged the other. After dodging a shell, we fired back and destroyed the last tank. Coming upon another pillbox that blazed gunfire, we fired a couple shells that damaged the pillbox, then we finished the inside off with the flamethrower. We then encountered another tank coming at us, firing shells. Luckily we dodged the attack and then fired a couple shells that blasted away the enemy armor.

Coming upon some grasslands with Japanese trenches and machine gun nests, we fired shells at the enemy defenses. I also saw that Marines were lined along a nearby ridge, firing immense rifle fire that riddled the Japanese lines and positions and shot more and more Japanese soldiers down. from the back of our tank, Miller fired intense BAR fire at the Japanese trenches, shooting multiple enemies as he kept firing shots that raked the enemy defenses. As I fired several shells that damaged the Japanese defenses, my tank got up close and I sprayed flames with the flamethrower, incinerating some Japanese soldiers with engulfing fire. My tank fired and destroyed a pillbox blazing at me and then fired shells that eliminated some of the machine gun nests, while Miller fired his BAR rifle and shot several Japanese in the nests. I then fired the flames that burned away Japanese soldiers in the nests, just before we fired a couple shells that destroyed another bunker.

"Send them burning in Hell, Eddie!" Miller said.

We all kept fighting our way past Japanese tanks and defenses, firing shells that blasted tanks and pillboxes away while spraying flames that incinerated Japanese soldiers in trenches and nests, while Miller fired cover shots at enemies with his BAR rifle. My tank fired and destroyed a couple more pillboxes blazing gunshots and then we fired shells on several machine gun nests, destroying them. A Chi Ha tank attacked, but we fired shells that blew it apart, then we came upon a bunker that blazed shots at us, but my tank blazed a couple shells back that blew it to shreds. We then came upon a couple of tanks that blazed shells, so my Sherman tank fired shots back that blasted the couple tanks to fiery pieces, then we fired shots that blew apart another grass covered bunker.

Moving onto some more grasslands, we encountered more enemy defensive trenches and nests. On our side, their were positions of Marines firing intense rifle fire that riddled Japanese positions, shooting numerous Japanese while enemy gunfire rained back over them. In response, my tank fired shells at enemy defenses, damaging them as Miller fired cover shots with his BAR from the back of our Sherman. We then moved in and sprayed immense flames at Japanese infantry in trenches and nests, engulfing many Japanese soldiers in burning flames and incinerating them. We kept fighting and firing shells and spraying flames at Japanese positions until they were wiped out, then we moved on to another field, with other Shermans following us. We encountered more Japanese tanks, who fired shots that destroyed a couple friendly tanks, but the other Shermans fired shells back as my tank fired cover shots. In the fierce battle, the other Shermans fired shots that destroyed several Japanese tanks as my Sherman fired and decimated a couple more enemy tanks, then we moved on.

"We're nearly there," Sullivan said, "Keep going!"

Our tank moved in and fired shells that blasted away an enemy trench, then we dodged the projectile fired from a Chi Ha and fired back, destroying the enemy armor. We then came upon a pillbox that fired at us, so we destroyed it with a couple shells before engaging more tanks. My tank withstood and dodged incoming enemy shells, then we fired shells back in fierce fighting, shooting and destroying a few tanks. We then moved on and came upon another trench, so we went up close and sprayed flames that incinerated the Japanese infantry. As Miller fired cover shots with his BAR at Japanese infantry defenses, my tank blazed and blew apart another tank, then we fired on and destroyed a bunker covered in grasses, letting us move forward.

Moving on, we got across the field, coming on a pathway nearing the headquarters, per Sullivan's direction. We encountered some more resistance in the way, with one enemy tank firing at us, but we dodged the projectiles and fired back, destroying the tank. We then came upon another trench and sprayed flames that burned away the enemy defenders, just before we fired and destroyed a bunker. Miller kept firing intense BAR fire at Japanese trenches and nests, while my tank fired shells that damaged the enemy infantry defenses and then we sprayed intense fire that engulfed and incinerated the Japanese infantry. After finishing off the infantry defenses, we moved on down the pathway, encountering a few more tanks and pillboxes. After dodging enemy armor projectiles, my tank fired and destroyed the couple tanks and then we fired shots that decimated the couple pillboxes that sprayed gunshots... We then moved on towards the headquarter.

"There it is," Miller said, "I think."

The headquarters was just short way up, so we sped down the path, making our way to it. Eventually, we were there, sitting on a short ridge overlooking the headquarters.

We finally came upon the enemy base, which was defended by tanks, artillery guns and machine gun bunkers, so we immediately went at it with several friendlies coming in support.

"There's our ticket!" Miller said, "Burn 'em!"

Rushed with excitement, we sped down the hill, firing shots that struck the enemy base and its defenses. Chi Ha tanks and artillery guns fired back, but we did our best to evade these shots, and our optimism only increased as more Shermans arrived and fired hails of shells onto the base. We fired shells and destroyed a few tanks in our way and then damaged the base with a few shells. We took out an artillery gun and then kept firing on the base, eliminating a couple bunkers. An artillery gun blazed, but we dodged the attack and fired a shell that took out the gun, then we fired and destroyed another tank. We then fired shots that eliminated a couple more bunkers and then we further damaged the headquarters, firing more shots that blasted pieces off into rubble and beginning to set the place on fire. As we destroyed a couple artillery guns, the Sherman tanks fired shots that heavily damaged the headquarters, and then we destroyed another bunker before firing shells that blew pieces off the base. The enemy defenses were dwindling severely as my tank fired and decimated a couple tanks, then we blasted apart a pillbox blazing toward us. With the enemy defenses gone, we concentrated all our fire on the headquarters, blasting piece by piece off as we kept severely damaging the base.

The other Shermans kept firing cover as I kept blasting away at the headquarters... But eventually, it paid off, for as we kept firing shells at the base, it burst and collapsed, finally finishing off the enemy base and leaving only rubble and flames... What was left really, were several Japanese soldiers and officers walking out with their hands raised in surrender, a surprising, yet relieving sight... We finally won.

Sullivan, Miller and I climbed out and down from the tank, walking over to the left to see a few American Marines viciously beating a captured Japanese soldier. The angry Marines fiercely hit, punched and kicked the captured enemy, who begged them to stop, but the Marines kept fiercely beating him, one even spitting on the enemy.

Miller and I came over as the Marines kept furiously hitting the pinned Japanese soldier. After a fierce beating of the enemy, Miller and I glared at him, then Miller handed me his pistol. The enemy begged for mercy... But I had none of it, for I just aimed and executed him.

"That's it, boys," Sullivan said, coming over to us, "It's over right now."

"Well then," Miller said as he walked in front of us, "Just a bit more and the Marianas will be seriously ours."


	26. M-12: Heroes End

_The Marianas are almost ours... Our ability to strike Japan is almost ours... Our ability to rid the evil Japanese empire from the world is almost ours. When Tinian is finally secure, we will have this advantage... It has been a very hard road to get here, the sacrifices of all of us... I will always remember and honor what we have lost to get here...  
_

 **'Heroes End'**

 **Tinian Island, Marianas**

 **July 29, 1944**

 **Pvt. Edric Henderson**

 **2nd Marine Division**

Seeing the grasslands of Tinian island, I looked over to see the American trench line stretching across the field here. A firm line filled with Marine infantry were in the trench, preparing their weapons, aiming a lineup of M1 Garand rifles, Thompson guns and BAR rifles at the field before us... All preparing for any Japanese counterattacks.

While the line of Marines were going about their business, Miller and Sullivan started coming over to me. "Lindner should be coming over soon." Sullivan spoke."

"Is he sending us on another mission?" Miller asked.

"Maybe," Sullivan spoke, "Something about going to the Southern end of the island."

"Whatever... I'm getting hungry," Miller spoke, then turned to me, "You catch any fish for me, Eddie?"

However, Lindner then appeared and walked up to us, speaking, "Okay Sergeant, I got a job coming up for you."

"Care to enlighten me?" Sullivan asked.

"There's Japanese artillery guns placed somewhere in the hills to the South," Lindner answered, "The four of us will lead men in there to find them, and take 'em out."

"What will we be expecting?" Miller asked.

"Probably a whole division on Japanese soldiers and marines," Lindner said, "...We have to be sure this area's secure from any counterattacks."

That's just when a Marine shouted, "Incoming! Japanese forces coming at the trench!"

"Shit!" Miller said, brandishing his BAR rifle.

As I wielded my own BAR gun, Sullivan and Lindner held their Thompson guns in their hands and then we all entered the trench with the other Marines. The line of Marines all aimed their guns at the grass and plant covered field before us, while distant enemy machine gun fire blazed towards our line.

"They're charging," Sullivan stated, "Open fire!"

The distant Japanese machine guns fired shots at the friendly line, while American machine gun nests to the sides of the trench blazed cover back... Soon enough, as all the Marines and I aimed our guns, great swarms of Japanese soldiers came at the trench, so the all Marines fired their guns at them.

"I'll kill all you filthy Jap bastards!" a Marine shouted, firing his gun.

"Fire on them," another Marine said, "Gun them down!"

"Tear these dirty bastards to shreds!" a third Marine said.

A vicious battle ensued as the line of Marines in the trench all fired immense hails of gunfire at the incoming Japanese waves, shooting multiple soldiers in fierce fighting. As the Marines all kept firing intense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces in fierce fighting, as well as firing shots that raked and pinned others Miller and I fired BAR fire that nailed multiple enemies. I fired intense BAR fire that shot nine Japanese as Miller fired and shot several others in the intense fighting. Sullivan shot a few more enemies as Lindner fired and nailed several others, then Sullivan gunned a couple more Japanese down. As I shot six more soldiers with fiery BAR fire, the Marines all kept firing intense gunfire that cut multiple more Japanese to pieces, their bullets tearing off limbs and bloody pieces of flesh from some Japanese soldiers. Still, the Japanese kept coming in, charging with bayonets or firing rifle shots, but we all kept fighting fiercely, firing gunfire that shot more enemies. Miller fired and shot several Japanese as I fired and nailed seven more enemies with BAR fire. Sullivan and Lindner fired intense Thompson fire that raked enemy soldiers, while I fired BAR fire that shot six more enemies. The Marines all kept firing gunfire that shot numerous Japanese as Miller fired BAR fire that shot multiple enemies in the ferocious battle.

Vicious fighting kept raging as we Marines all kept firing gunfire that shot multiple Japanese, fighting hard to defend the trench line. The incoming Japanese kept blazing rifle shots at our trench, so the Marines fired immense gunfire that cut numerous more Japanese to pieces. I shot six more enemies with BAR fire as the Marines all fired intense gunfire that furiously raked and pinned Japanese soldiers, then I fired BAR fire that nailed seven more Japanese in the fierce battle. Miller shot several Japanese with BAR fire as Lindner gunned a few other soldiers down, then Miller fired BAR shots that nailed several more enemies. As the Marines fired immense rifle fire that nailed multiple more incoming Japanese, I shot five more soldiers as Sullivan gunned a few others down with Thompson fire, then Miller shot a few more enemies as well. More enemies kept coming in, so I fired and nailed six more Japanese as Miller gunned a few others down, then I shot five more enemies as well. Sullivan gunned a couple soldiers down as Lindner shot a few more enemies, then Sullivan nailed a couple soldiers with Thompson shots.

We all kept fighting very hard to defend the trench line, with me shooting six more Japanese in the fierce battle. The Marines kept firing gunfire that nailed numerous more enemies charging at the trench as I shot seven more Japanese with BAR fire. Miller fired BAR fire that shot multiple enemies in the fierce skirmish, while Lindner shot a few more Japanese as well. As the Marines kept firing immense rifle fire that furiously raked and pinned incoming Japanese, the enemy soldiers fired shots back that nailed several friendlies in the trench. Still, we all kept fighting fiercely, with me shooting five more soldiers in the field before us. Sullivan shot a couple soldiers as Miller fired and nailed several more enemies with BAR fire, then Sullivan gunned a couple other Japanese down as well. The Marines kept firing gunfire that cut numerous more Japanese to shreds, their bullets ripping off gory limbs, but enemy soldiers fired shots back at the trench. In response, Miller and I fired intense BAR fire that shot multiple Japanese in the incredibly hard, vicious fighting, while the Marines fired and furiously riddled Japanese positions and soldiers. I shot nine Japanese with BAR fire as Miller fired cover shots, then I fired and nailed six more. With much hard fighting raging, the line of Marines kept firing intense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces.

The Japanese kept coming in waves at the trench, so the Marines kept fighting very hard to hold this line, with Marines firing immense hails of gunfire that shot numerous more Japanese in the fierce battle. As I shot five incoming enemies while Miller fired and nailed a few others, Lindner shot several more Japanese as Sullivan gunned a few others down as well, then I shot five more soldiers coming at the trench. The Japanese fired gunshots that gunned several Marines down, so in retaliation, I fired BAR fire that nailed six Japanese soldiers while Miller and Lindner fired intense cover shots. Sullivan gunned a couple more soldiers down as enemy soldiers blazed rounds that struck down a few other friendlies, then Lindner shot a few enemies in return. I fired and nailed five more enemies as the Marines all fired intense gunfire that cut multiple enemies down, then Miller shot several more Japanese as Sullivan gunned a couple others down. I then fired BAR fire that nailed six more enemies as the line of Marines fired immense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese, then I shot five more with BAR shots.

With the Marines still fighting fiercely to hold the trench, enemy soldiers fired shots back and gunned several Marines down. Still, the Marines fired intense gunfire that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers a midst the fierce battle, then I fired and shot seven more Japanese with BAR fire. The ferocious battle raged further as more Japanese infantry waves kept coming, but we fended them off with Miller firing and shooting several enemies while I shot five more Japanese soldiers. Lindner shot a few soldiers as Sullivan fired and nailed several more Japanese, then Lindner gunned down a couple more enemies as well. The Marines fired hails of gunfire that shot numerous Japanese, then Miller fired and nailed a few more enemies. Japanese soldiers blazed shots that struck a few friendlies, so as Miller and I fired intense cover shots, the Marines fired hails of gunfire that nailed multiple more Japanese soldiers. Sullivan and Lindner both fired cover as Miller shot several others with BAR fire. I then shot five more enemies as the Marines fired intense rifle fire that cut numerous Japanese in the fierce battle.

"Come on, you Jap cowards!" a Marine shouted.

"Die in Hell, you filthy pigs!" another Marine said to the enemy.

The line of Marines all kept firing gunfire that cut more enemies to pieces, the bullets tearing limbs and bloody flesh off Japanese soldiers in a gory display. After much ferocious fighting, the Japanese retreated back across the field.

"Run back home, Tojo!" a Marine said.

"Everyone, check your ammunition," Miller said, "They might be back!"

All the men kept filling up on their ammunition and readying their weapons for any further combat... And as they aimed their guns at the field, soon enough, more Japanese infantry came in even bigger waves, with some machine gun positions and Chi Ha tanks in support.

"Shit, here they come," a Marine said, "Fire on these bastards!"

"Burn in Hell, you dirty Japs!" another Marine shouted.

As more Japanese came in, the line of Marines fired more intense gunfire and shooting numerous enemies down in a vicious battle. As Miller, Lindner and Sullivan fired fierce cover that raked enemy troops, I fired BAR fire that shot six Japanese as the Marines fired and cut multiple other Japanese to pieces with immense rifle fire. However, as the Marines were firing intense gunfire that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers and shot up positions, enemy machine guns blazed shots that struck several Marines as well. In response, I fired and shot five more enemies as Lindner gunned a few other Japanese down. As the line of Marines all fired cover shots, Miller shot several Japanese with BAR fire as Sullivan gunned a few others down, though enemy machine guns kept blazing and shooting a few more friendlies in the trench. Still, we all kept fighting fiercely, for I gunned two down to the right as Miller shot several others, then I fired and shot five more incoming soldiers. The line of Marines fired shots that riddled numerous more Japanese to shreds as I shot two enemies as well, then Sullivan fired and nailed a couple more soldiers while I gunned down another two Japanese at the right, but enemy tanks and machine guns kept firing at our trench.

I fired cover shots that the machine gun positions as the Marines all kept firing gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to pieces. Behind us, a few Sherman tanks were firing shells at the several Chi Ha tanks before us, who fired shells back. As the friendly and enemy tanks kept firing at each other and damaging one another with shells, the Marines fired more immense rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese in the fierce battle. I fired and shot five enemies and then aimed for and shot a machine gunner, but a couple other machine gunners blazed at me. In response, Miller shot several more enemies with BAR fire as Lindner gunned a few others down, then I aimed and shot another machine gunner and his crewman a midst the fierce fighting. The Shermans and Chi Ha tanks kept blazing shells at one another, increasing the already intense heat of the battle. Marines kept firing more gunfire that furiously riddled enemy soldiers and positions in fierce fighting while I fired BAR fire that nailed six more enemies. Enemy machine gun and rifle fire shot multiple friendlies in the fierce fighting, so I fired and shot another machine gunner.

"Slice these fucking bastards!" a Marine said furiously.

"Fire on their positions," another Marine shouted, "Tear them to shreds!"

"Shit, I'll rip you fucking Japs to pieces!" a third Marine shouted.

The Marines all kept fighting fiercely, firing immense hails of gunfire that shot more and more Japanese to gory pieces even as enemy machine gun fire and tank shells rained over them. I gunned two more enemies down to the left as Miller and Lindner fired and shot several enemies, then I shot five more Japanese with BAR fire. The Marines all kept firing gunfire that shot multiple Japanese in the fierce battle, while friendly machine guns blazed fierce support. Still as I gunned two more soldiers down, enemy machine guns blazed at our trench, so I aimed and shot another machine gunner before being driven to cover by another machine gun. Sullivan gunned a few other soldiers down as Miller shot several enemies with BAR fire, then the Marines fired shots that fiercely raked and pinned more enemy soldiers and positions. I kept firing BAR fire, nailing six more enemies, and though a few Marines were gunned down, I aimed and shot another enemy machine gunner. Miller then shot a few more enemies as the line of Marines fired immense gunfire that cut multiple more Japanese down in the vicious fighting.

More Japanese waves kept coming in, with machine guns and tanks blazing in support. A few Marines were shot a midst the battle, but we all kept fighting ferociously, with the Marines firing hails of intense rifle fire that cut numerous more Japanese to pieces, bullets ripping limbs off enemies. I fired and shot five Japanese as Miller gunned a few others down, then Sullivan and Lindner fired cover that raked enemy positions. Enemy gunshots still blazed at the trench, so Miller shot several more enemies as I fired BAR fire that nailed six Japanese as well, but enemy troops kept coming in, aiming to take the trench as Chi Ha tanks and Type 92 machine guns blazed shells and bullets. As I fired cover shots that riddled positions, Sullivan gunned a few more enemies down, then Miller and Lindner fired shots that nailed several enemies. The Marines all kept firing gunfire that cut multiple enemies down in the vicious fighting while Miller shot several Japanese with BAR fire. As I shot five more enemies with BAR fire, the line of Marines fired immense gunfire that shot numerous incoming Japanese in vicious fighting... Eventually, the enemy assault dwindled severely, but it still pressed on with their intensely hot support.

"I'll burn you fucking dirty pigs!" a Marine said at the enemy.

"Shit... Die, you filthy Jap bastards!" another Marine shouted furiously.

Even as the enemy infantry waves were diminishing, the enemy tanks blazed shells towards us. I shot up the last remaining machine gun position as the Shermans kept battling the Chi Ha tanks, gaining my attention.

"Henderson," Sullivan ordered, "Grab a Bazooka and blow up those tanks!"

Miller and I fired intense BAR fire and shot multiple Japanese from our trench, then as Miller fired cover shots, I rushed over to a foxhole and grabbed a bazooka. After dodging a shell, I aimed the launcher and fired a shot that destroyed a tank, then I reloaded and blazed another rocket that damaged a second Chi Ha. The remaining tanks blazed a couple shells towards me, but I dodged them before reloading and aiming, then firing a shell that finished off the damaged tank. The Marines all kept firing gunshots on enemy infantry and positions, and as I dodged bullets and shells, I damaged another tank with a Bazooka shell. The tank blazed another shell near me, but I quickly reloaded and fired a shell that blasted the tank to pieces.

"Keep it up," Miller said, still fighting, "Get this fucking thing!"

Eventually, as they withstood more attacks, the Sherman tanks fired more shells that fended off the Chi Ha tanks, blasting some to ruins while chasing others off. As the line of Marines all fired gunfire and shot more enemies, the Japanese troops began retreating as our gunshots chased them off across the field... Eventually, the remaining enemies were dead or gone, and we have secured our victory here.

Miller and Sullivan came over near me to help me out of the foxhole, and that's when Lindner came over to us with a relieved sigh and spoke, "Anyways... We'll be moving out soon."

* * *

 _Soon, Tinian will be ours. After the enemy artillery guns are cleared from the hills in the South of the island, finishing the remaining resistance in the Marianas will be very smooth._

I rode in the back of the jeep, with Sullivan driving and Miller and Lindner riding with me in the vehicle. As we sped up the jungle covered hills in the jeep, two Chevrolet G506 trucks were rolling in behind us. They carried the Marines named Hinsin, Griffith, Harris, Fisher, Mitchell, Hill, Gibson, Richie, Simmons, McKinley, Riviera, Shielding and Smith, to support us in our mission in the hills.

We were in the area on top of the hills now, coming to a pathway near a ridge, and that's when we stopped our vehicles and disembarked. I wielded my Thompson gun with a 50 round drum as Miller held his BAR rifle, then Sullivan brandished his Thompson as Lindner held an M1 Garand in hand. The other Marines with us grabbed their weapons, emerged from the trucks and followed us as we went down the pathway.

I walked with Miller, Sullivan and Lindner as we made our way down the path, while Hinsin, Griffith, Hill, Mitchell, Harris, Gibson, Fisher, Richie, McKinley, Riviera, Simmons, Smith and Shielding followed us closely. We all kept walking down the pathway until Lindner held his hand out for us to stop, then we crouched down.

As he and Sullivan looked around, Lindner quietly ordered us, "Move into the trees, now."

Following this, we all moved into the trees the the left, taking positions by different palm trees and all of us aiming our guns at the pathway.

"What is it?" Miller asked from his tree position.

"...Jap patrols." Linder answered.

"They're coming this way?" Miller said.

"Pretty much," Lindner stated, "Get ready to take 'em out."

"Shit." Miller said.

With us all behind different palm trees and aiming at the pathway, we waited a moments time... Then after some somewhat short waiting, we saw numerous Japanese soldiers coming down the pathway. As we aimed at them, they started slowly walking past us, near enough that we could hear them.

"Dono kurai nagaku watashitachiha aruki tsudzukeru tame ni hitsuyōna nodesu ka? (How much longer do we need to keep walking?)" the first Japanese soldier asked.

"Sore ga anzen sengen sa reru made gaijin akuma ga haitte kuru mae ni... Sore wa nagaku wa kakaranaidarou (Until it's declared safe... It won't be long before the Gaijin devils come through)." the second Japanese answered.

"Seiyō hito wa kemono no yōna chikara o shiyō shite rikai shite imasu. Karera ga koko ni teisatsu suru tame ni dareka o ookuri shimasu yōde wa arimasen (Westerners only understand using force like brutes. It's not like they'll send someone to scout out here)." the first Japanese soldier spoke.

"Soreha kamo shirenaiga, wareware wa tonikaku chūi suru hitsuyō ga arimasu (That may be, but we should be careful anyways)." the second Japanese soldier stated.

"Watashi wa anata o itte iru, sorera no seiyō ga nani mo dete koko ni nai, to atta baai, wareware wa sudeni shitte irudeshou... Chōdo sorera no fuketsuna Chūgoku no yōna, orokana dake to yabandesu (I'm telling you, those Westerners are only stupid and savage, just like those filthy Chinese... There's nothing out here, and if there was, we'll have known already)." the first Japanese said.

The Japanese were slowly moving on the pathway, but as they were going by, we all kept aiming our guns at them, just waiting rather eagerly to take them out... And that's when Lindner gave the order.

"Attack!" Lindner shouted.

I fired my Thompson and shot two soldiers, alerting the other enemies as Sullivan threw a grenade and took a couple out in a blast. Immediately, all us Marines were firing hails of intense gunfire from our tree positions to the side at the Japanese on the pathway, firing shots that cut numerous Japanese to pieces.

As the Marines fired immense gunfire from the trees that raked and pinned the Japanese soldiers, Miller fired BAR shots that nailed a few enemies. As the Marines fired shots that gunned several others down, I kept firing Thompson fire that shot six Japanese on the pathway, then as Miller fired and gunned a couple others down, I shot two more running to some trees. As Sullivan shot a couple others, I gunned another soldier down going to a tree.

More Japanese soldiers came in, but we Marines all kept firing at them. Miller fired BAR fire and shot several enemies as Sullivan and I fired cover shots with our Thompson guns. Lindner shot a soldier to the left, then fired and nailed a couple more enemies with Garand shots. As Sullivan shot a couple others, Miller and I fired intense cover shots that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers while Lindner gunned a couple others down. As the Japanese soldiers fired some gunshots back, the Marines then all kept firing gunfire from the trees and shooting multiple Japanese in vicious fighting, fighting in a fierce battle to eliminate the Japanese garrison.

As the other Marines kept firing gunshots from the trees and raking incoming Japanese soldiers, Miller fired his BAR and shot a few more enemies as I gunned two others down with my Thompson, then Miller shot a couple others with BAR fire. With the Marines firing intense cover shots, Miller fired hails of intense BAR fire that shot multiple Japanese soldiers, then Lindner gunned a couple others down with Garand shots. Sullivan blazed cover with his Thompson as I fired intense Thompson fire and shot nine Japanese soldiers. Sullivan then gunned down a couple enemies as I kept firing Thompson fire and shooting six more Japanese.

The Marines all kept firing immense gunfire that nailed multiple Japanese soldiers as Lindner took out a couple enemies in a blast with a grenade. I then fired Thompson shots that nailed seven more enemies as Miller shot several other Japanese with BAR fire, then I gunned two others down, though the Japanese soldiers kept firing gunfire back. With the Marines firing intense cover fire that raked and pinned the Japanese, Lindner gunned down a couple enemies, then as Sullivan fired cover, Lindner fired and shot a few more Japanese while Miller fired and shot several enemies with BAR fire, then Lindner aimed and gunned a couple others down to the right.

As I gunned two Japanese down, Sullivan shot a few more enemies, then I fired Thompson fire that nailed five more enemies. Lindner fired shots that gunned a few more Japanese down as Miller fired his BAR and shot a few other enemy soldiers. Lindner gunned another soldier down as I shot two others, then Sullivan threw a grenade and took out another couple enemies in a blast.

As Miller fired intense cover fire, I fired Thompson shots that nailed six more enemies, while Lindner fired and gunned a few others down. A midst the Japanese firing gunshots back, the Marines fired immense gunfire that furiously raked the Japanese and pinned them. In the vicious battle, I shot two others as Sullivan gunned a few others down, then Lindner shot a couple more enemies. With the Marines firing cover shots, I fired my Thompson and shot five more Japanese as Lindner gunned a couple others down. Miller then fired BAR fire that nailed several more Japanese as Sullivan gunned a couple others down, then Miller shot a few others with BAR fire.

The Marines all kept firing gunfire from their tree positions and shooting the Japanese soldiers on the pathway... And eventually, after much hard fighting, we eliminated the enemies on the path, allowing us to move forward.

"Move out!" Lindner ordered.

We all emerged from the trees and went onto the pathway, going down the path until we came upon some grasslands covered in different plants. Coming into the grasslands, more Japanese came in to confront us, so we all took positions in the grasslands and engaged them.

The Marines fired immense gunfire at the Japanese, raking and pinning them, while Miller and I fired gunfire as well and shot multiple enemies in the fierce fighting. As I fired cover shots, Miller fired intense hails of BAR fire and shot multiple other Japanese soldiers while raking and pinning some enemies. As the Marines all kept firing gunfire and shooting and pinning more enemies, Miller and I fired more immense gunfire and shot numerous more Japanese soldiers, eliminating them here and letting us move to engage further enemy defense in the grasslands.

"Keep fighting," Lindner ordered, "Get to the fucking ridge!"

"I'll kill you Jap bastards!" Miller shouted firing his BAR to shoot any remaining enemies.

Miller then rushed a Japanese soldier and seized the enemy's rifle. Miller wrestled the Japanese soldier fiercely over the rifle, and after intense wrestling, Miller punched the enemy hard twice, before knocking him out with the rifle stock. Another enemy came in, but Miller charged at the Japanese soldier, punched him and wrestled him over the rifle. Miller then tackled the Japanese soldier, pinned him and punched him over and over several times until knocking him out, then Miller continued on.

We Marines all kept moving down the grasslands, fighting Japanese soldiers as we went. The other Marines kept firing cover fire as we moved, while more Japanese soldiers came in and fired gunshots. Still, a midst the fierce battle, as we moved Miller and I fired hails of intense gunfire that nailed multiple Japanese and raked and pinned others. I fired Thompson fire at enemies by some plants and shot seven Japanese, while Miller fired and gunned a few other soldiers down, then Sullivan aimed and shot a couple more.

Lindner went in and shot a few more enemies with Garand fire, then took out a couple others with a grenade blast. With Sullivan blazing cover, Miller and I fired gunfire that raked more enemies, with me shooting five more Japanese as Miller fired BAR fire that nailed several enemies, then I aimed to the right and gunned two more down by some plants. Lindner then shot up another couple enemies as Sullivan gunned a few others down, then I went over and fired intense Thompson fire and shot six more Japanese by some plants.

The other Marines all kept firing gunfire that riddled Japanese soldiers, while Miller, Sullivan, Lindner and I kept shooting others down. Sullivan charged and knocked over a Japanese soldier with his gun stock and then pinned him. Sullivan then punched the enemy repeatedly a few times before taking out his knife and stabbing him.

With that, we all rushed across the grasslands, with Lindner carrying a captured Type 99 machine gun. We all came upon a short ridge, overlooking a small battlefield with a trench, several palm trees placed around, as well as some foxholes and crates.

With us all sitting on the ridge, Sullivan looked up at a nearby hill, seeing some suspicious looking foliage, like camouflage... Then he and Lindner looked behind us to see a convoy of American troops, far off in the distance on the lower ground, far away from our hill.

"The artillery should just be over this hill," Lindner stated, "We'll advance through here and check it out."

"That one looks like it could be an artillery hold." Sullivan said, pointing at the hill with the mysterious foliage.

"Shit... I'll bet," Lindner said, holding the Type 99, "...Okay, Miller, hit the right side, Sullivan, you take the left. The rest of you, lay in a defensive line on this ridge and provide covering fire... I'll cover you with this Jap machine gun, and once you secure that trench, I'll come join you... Henderson, you'll be on point, we clear?"

"We got it, Cap." Sullivan answered.

"Right," Miller said, "We'll check the hill."

"Okay, let's get going," Lindner spoke, manning his Type 99 gun, "Move it!"

With that, Miller, Sullivan and I went into the battlefield, while Lindner aimed the Type 99 and all the other Marines lay in a line on the ridge, all aiming their guns at the battlefield as we moved in... Then the Japanese soldiers came in at the other side to confront us.

"Shit, Jap infantry," Miller said, "Hold this fucking ridge!"

As the Japanese attacked and fired gunshots towards us, Lindner fired Type 99 cover shots that riddled the Japanese in return. The Marines all fired immense gunfire from the ridge line and shot numerous Japanese in the vicious battle as Miller, Sullivan and I reached the trench line, braving enemy bullets.

Lindner kept blazing Type 99 shots while the line of Marines kept firing hails of gunfire that cut more Japanese down and raked and pinned other enemies. Entering the trench and aiming our guns at the battlefield, Miller, Sullivan and I fired immense shots that raked the enemy positions, while Lindner kept firing shots that pinned more Japanese. Miller, Sullivan and I kept firing intense cover fire from the trench at Japanese positions, and as Lindner finished covering us with the Type 99, he came from the ridge with his Garand rifle and rushed over to the trench with us. Miller fired and shot several enemies to cover Lindner while I gunned two other soldiers down. Sullivan aimed and shot a couple more enemies as Lindner joined us in the trench. Miller then shot a few more Japanese with BAR fire as I fired my Thompson and shot five more enemies. The Marines all kept firing intense cover fire from the ridge at Japanese positions. As Lindner gunned a couple others down, Miller shot a few more soldiers as I fired and nailed two more Japanese, then Sullivan shot a couple more soldiers.

In a vicious battle, Miller, Sullivan, Lindner and I fired immense gunfire from the trench and shot up Japanese positions and soldiers, while the line of Marines on the ridge kept firing intense hails of gunfire that shot multiple Japanese soldiers to pieces. As I fired cover shots, Miller fired and gunned a few more enemies down. Lindner fired shots that gunned down a few more enemies as I fired Thompson fire that nailed five Japanese. Miller then fired BAR fire that shot several more Japanese as the Marines on the ridge kept firing immense gunfire that raked and pinned the Japanese. Sullivan shot a few more enemies as I gunned down two others, but the Japanese fired shots back. Braving this and reloading, Miller, Sullivan, Lindner and I fired immense hails of gunfire from the trench and shot multiple Japanese soldiers before us. The Marines on the ridge kept firing shots that nailed and riddled more Japanese troops, allowing us to fight on further.

As we all kept firing gunfire at Japanese positions, who rained gunshots back as well, Miller and Sullivan started moving forward. Getting to a foxhole, Miller fired and shot a few Japanese, then he gunned a couple more down to the right as Sullivan shot a couple others with his Thompson. I got to a foxhole and fired Thompson fire that nailed six more Japanese, then Miller fired and shot a few more enemies, then Sullivan gunned a couple others down. As I fired and shot five more Japanese, Lindner fired Garand fire from the trench and shot a few other enemies.

Miller then rushed and clashed his gun against the rifle of a Japanese soldier, and they struggled briefly. Miller then punched the Japanese soldier and grabbed his rifle, causing them both to wrestle each other fiercely over the gun. After much hard wrestling, Miller punched the enemy again and kept wrestling him fiercely. As this happened, I gunned two enemies down while Sullivan shot a few more soldiers, and then I shot five more Japanese with Thompson fire, raking a couple Japanese positions with fiery gunshots. Lindner held a position and fired shots that nailed a couple more enemies. Meanwhile Miller viciously wrestled his opponent over the rifle, then Miller knocked him down with the gun stock and then beating him with it to knock him out.

In much vicious fighting, the line of Marines kept firing immense hails of gunfire that cut numerous Japanese soldiers to pieces and riddling enemy positions. As the Japanese kept blazing gunshots back, the other Marines fired more intense gunfire that shot more enemies, letting us keep fighting in the battlefield. As Miller joined me at a position, I fired intense Thompson fire and shot nine Japanese, then Miller fired and shot five enemies. In the fierce fighting, Miller and I fired intense gunfire that nailed multiple enemies and riddled more positions. Lindner fired and gunned a couple more down, then threw a grenade that took out a couple others in a blast as Sullivan shot another couple enemies. With that, Miller and I kept firing intense gunfire that cut multiple more Japanese down in vicious fighting, then we were fighting our way back to the trench.

Lindner gunned a couple more enemies down as Sullivan shot another by a tree. However, a Banzai charger went at Sullivan, so Sullivan rushed him and clashed his Thompson against the charger's rifle, and Sullivan and the charger wrestled furiously. As Sullivan fought the Banzai charger in a fierce struggle, I fired intense Thompson fire that nailed nine more Japanese. Sullivan kept wrestling his opponent hard, but after much struggling, Sullivan punched the enemy, then reached and activated the Kiska grenade on the enemy soldier's belt before pushing him into the trench and taking him out in a blast. As we neared the trench, I gunned two more enemies down as Miller fired and shot a few Japanese as well, then the Marines on the ridge fired gunfire that shot numerous more enemies.

With us reaching the trench, Sullivan and Lindner took cover in it while I fired Thompson shots that raked enemy positions. Miller fired intense BAR fire at Japanese positions and shot several enemies, and though the Japanese blazed furious rifle and machine gun shots back, the other Marines fired gunfire that raked and pinned more enemies. Miller then fired BAR fire that nailed several more Japanese in the fierce battle while I kept firing cover shots, then he joined us in the trench... With all four of us in the trench, we began assessing the situation.

"They have some tight defenses here," Lindner said, "They're beginning to surround us... Who knows what they have over the hill by that artillery."

"There's more of 'em coming in," Sullivan spoke, "...Any ideas, Cap?"

"...I don't know," Lindner said, "I'm trying to think."

Miller rested against the trench wall, having a rather pessimistic and worried look, that's when he said to Sullivan, "...We're not getting out of here, are we, Tom."

Sullivan looked back, surprised... But then he gave Miller a reassuring smile as he said, "What're ya' talkin' about? Of course we will, Chris, just as always."

"I'm thinking we try these shells." Miller said.

"What do ya' mean?" Lindner asked.

"There's mortar shells over there," Miller answered, "Behind the Jap defenses... Using them with the artillery."

"He's right," Sullivan said, "Those guns are in throwing reach... We won't have to go up to 'em, just have to push through the Japanese here to get to 'em."

"Sounds good," Lindner said, "We'll move up one by one, give cover to whoever's moving until we reach those shells... Think you can do that?"

"I'm trying to," Miller said, "...I think."

We all reloaded our guns as Lindner spoke, "Well try harder, ready... Covering fire!"

Holding from the trench and aiming our guns at the field, Miller, Sullivan, Lindner and I fired immense gunfire from the trench at the Japanese positions, shooting numerous enemies down with intense gunfire. The Marines at the ridge fired more fierce gunfire that raked and pinned the Japanese positions while Miller, Sullivan, Lindner and I kept firing intense hails of gunfire from the trench and shooting multiple more Japanese soldiers in vicious fighting. With the other Marines firing cover shots at enemies, I fired Thompson fire and shot nine Japanese as the other three with me fired and riddled enemy positions... Then, a midst the fierce battle, we pushed on.

I reached a foxhole and fired shots that gunned five more Japanese down as Lindner and Sullivan shot a few more enemies. Coming to a new foxhole, I shot two more enemies to the right, then I gunned down another soldier at a nest before shooting another two enemies by some trees. As Miller fired and raked Japanese nests, I ran over from the foxhole to a new position as Miller entered a foxhole and fired BAR shots that nailed a few more enemies.

Miller kept firing intense cover shots that riddled Japanese positions as I shot two more enemies by a couple trees, then aimed and gunned down another soldier to the right. Sullivan came over as I kept firing shots that nailed six more Japanese, then as he took position by some crates, Sullivan aimed and shot a few more soldiers.

As Miller and I kept firing cover shots at Japanese positions, Lindner went over to some crates, dodging bullets along the way as Miller fired BAR fire that nailed several Japanese. However, an enemy machine gun position blazed shots that drove Lindner to cover behind the crates, so Miller fired and shot a few more Japanese with BAR fire. As the enemy machine gun blazed at Lindner's post, I gunned down two enemies by some trees, then as Sullivan shot a couple more soldiers, I fired intense Thompson fire and shot seven more Japanese.

"You Jap fuckers!" Lindner shouted as he shot at enemies.

In the fierce fighting, as Miller and I fired cover shots, Lindner aimed and shot several Japanese with Garand fire, then I covered Sullivan as he went in and threw a grenade that took out the Japanese machine gun nest.

Coming out of the nest, Miller fired BAR fire that shot several Japanese in fierce fighting, then as I gunned two more down, Miller shot a few more enemies with BAR fire. Sullivan then fired and shot a few more incoming Japanese as Miller fired BAR shots that nailed a few enemies as well, then Sullivan knocked back a Banzai charger with his gun stock before shooting him down. With that, I furiously rushed at several enemies and engaged them in hand to hand combat, hitting an enemy twice with my gun stock and then knocking down another soldier with one hard strike from the Thompson stock. I then slashed one enemy down with my knife as Miller shot a couple enemies, then I charged and fiercely slashed two more Japanese with my knife.

I then shot two more soldiers as a Banzai charger came at me, but I dodged his blade and then grabbed his rifle, wrestling him over it. After a struggle, I knocked him back with the stock and then stabbed him with the bayonet.

After I finished off my enemy, I went to a foxhole with Miller, Sullivan and Lindner, seeing we were just near the mortar shells, and also much closer to the artillery guns on the nearby hill... But I saw that the Japanese artillery guns, two of them in total, were starting to open up, both getting ready to blaze shells.

"Hurry," Lindner said, "Get to that nest!"

I shot two more enemies and then we moved over to the nest containing the mortar shells. Once we entered the nest, Sullivan gathered the shells while some Japanese soldiers came in, so I fired Thompson shots that nailed five more Japanese, then I aimed and gunned two more down to the right.

When the shells were prepared, I looked over to the hill and saw the artillery guns getting ready to fire. Immediately, I grabbed a shell, primed it, and with careful aim, I threw it... And once it landed right into the artillery nest, it sent a massive explosion that incinerated the crew and heavily damaged the gun. More Japanese soldiers came in to confront us, so as Miller fired cover shots, I fired Thompson fire that shot six more Japanese soldiers. After a skirmish, I grabbed another shell and threw it at the slightly farther artillery gun, but it missed and landed only near the gun... But I kept trying as I primed another shell, and with even more careful aim, I threw it... And that payed off, as it landed right into the nest and blew away the second gun and its crew... The artillery was finished.

"Yeah," Miller shouted, "Burn, you little bastards!"

"Our objective is over," Lindner said, "Let's get back!"

With that, we all ran away from the nest and started going back to the ridge with the other Marines... But many Japanese started coming in, firing gunshots at us and driving us to cover. Once in cover, Miller and I fired intense gunfire that shot multiple enemies, then Lindner gunned a few others down. Some more Japanese came in, so I fired and shot five more enemies and raked positions while Sullivan and Lindner fired cover shots.

"Cover us, Henderson!" Lindner ordered.

"Tenno Heika Banzai!" some Japanese soldiers said, charging towards us with bayonets.

I then fired immense cover fire that raked the Japanese positions while Miller also fired BAR shots at enemy soldiers. Some Banzai chargers were coming at us, so I fended them off with gunshots and knife slashes.

...But as Miller and I fired more cover shots, with me shooting up a machine gun nest, suddenly, a Japanese machine gun fired and riddled me in the stomach, bringing me down.

"Shit, Henderson!" Miller shouted in distress, "Eddie!"

Miller and Sullivan started dragging me by my arms back towards, with Sullivan grabbing my Thompson gun for me as well. The Japanese kept blazing fire at us as I was dragged to a post, but the other Marines on the ridged kept firing hails of gunfire that shot multiple Japanese to pieces. As Sullivan handed me my Thompson and started dragging me back, Miller and Lindner furiously engaged incoming enemies.

"You filthy Jap bastards," Miller shouted furiously, firing his BAR, "I'll fucking kill all of you!"

Miller and Lindner fired intense gunfire that riddled enemy positions and soldiers. As Sullivan dragged me, I fired cover shots at incoming soldiers with my Thompson as Miller reached a nest. Japanese soldiers kept blazing shots towards us, so Miller fired furious BAR fire that nailed several more Japanese and raked positions. Still, the enemy soldiers blazed gunshots while I fired back with desperate Thompson fire. Still fighting fiercely in the furious battle, Miller kept firing intense BAR fire that shot multiple Japanese soldiers and riddled their positions to pieces as he kept shooting more enemies. Getting to a palm tree, Lindner then fired Garand shots that nailed several Japanese as we all kept fighting viciously to escape from the battlefield.

Several Banzai chargers came in, but I fired my Thompson and gunned them down as Miller and Lindner fired cover.

I fired more cover shots at incoming Japanese, then Miller fired immense BAR fire that nailed several more Japanese as Lindner fired and gunned a few more enemies down. Sullivan finally got me to the trench as I kept firing and raking enemy positions with Thompson fire. From the ridge, the line of Marines kept firing immense gunfire that, cut numerous more Japanese down and shot up their positions in a fierce battle. As Miller kept firing cover shots that raked more enemies, the Japanese started retreating from the battlefield. Eventually, after much hard fighting, the Japanese forces here were diminished... We had won.

...But even then, that's not what was going through the minds of the others. As the Marines on the ridge rested there, Miller and Lindner rushed over to me, seeing that I was severely injured from the machine gun.

"Eddie... Eddie," Miller said, worried but still calm, crouching down next to me, "...You'll be fine, right?"

"Corpsman," Sullivan shouted over to the ridge, while crouched beside me, "Get a medic over here!"

Miller and Sullivan sat beside me, both very worried, but still calm as they could be... Miller placed a hand on my arm, and I looked up at him, seeing his expression becoming solemnly stoic... He remained quiet and calm even tough he was severely worried... A Corpsman was just beginning to come over...

...But I was feeling very, very weak as I looked at Miller and Sullivan for a last time... My eyes closed...


	27. Keep Moving Forward

_We remember... We remember everything we fought for, everything we killed and died for, we make sure to honor our losses, make time to mourn... Well, good bye Eddie... Anyways, Sullivan and I were transferred to the 1st Marine Division shortly after Tinian. I hear we're making an assault on the island of Peleliu, should be an easy job... Well, at least we got to see Roebuck again... Maybe, things would work out after this whole war ends._

* * *

Miller sat on the floor of the berthing, his arms draped over his knees as he had a stoic look of solemness on his face. It had been a couple of weeks since Henderson's death, but he still felt saddened by the event. Sullivan came into the compartments and walked over towards Miller.

"We're needed on deck." Sullivan spoke.

"...Yeah, sure." Miller replied, getting up to his feet.

"You all right?" Sullivan asked with concern.

"Not really," Miller said, "...Eddie's gone, Tom."

"...We need to move on from that," Sullivan stated, "That's what Eddie fought for."

"...Sure..." Miller spoke.

Miller and Sullivan walked through the corridors, but before they went to the deck, they noticed an old friend in a room, John Roebuck. Now that they were all part of the 1st Marines, they would be fighting together again. Miller and Sullivan walked into the room and greeted Roebuck.

"John," Sullivan spoke, shaking the hand of his friend, "You holding up."

"Mostly," Roebuck responded, "But we got here... I'm glad you two are okay."

"It's great to see you." Miller greeted.

"Hey, I'm... Sorry what happened to Henderson," Roebuck spoke, "I know he was a good man, a good Marine... And... Well, you can't really ask for more than that."

"...I know." Miller said, starting to feel a bit of joy.

Sullivan however, noticed another Marine, the young Erik Polonsky, sitting on a nearby bed, inspecting his rifle and having a stoic glare on his face. This caused Sullivan to ask, "What about the kid... He okay?"

"...Only speaking a little." Roebuck answered.

With that, Miller walked up to Polonsky and crouched down next to him on the floor. "Still saying very little," Miller said, "Will you say anything to me?"

"...I'm good." Polonsky said, "...Just trying to fight."

"Is that what you want?" Miller asked.

Polonsky didn't speak at first, but then he soon turned to Miller and said clearly, "...I want to kill Japs."

After he finished inspecting, Polonsky got up and walked out of the room. Roebuck walked back over towards Sullivan and asked, "What do ya' think, Tom?"

"...Japs are the bad guys," Sullivan said, "...It's about time that boy got some sense in him."

* * *

 _... ..._

 _...War had ended in the West, our Red Banner hangs over the Reichstag, over the capital of Nazi Germany. We have signaled the end of the Reich, eliminating the evil Nazi empire off the map... But as war ends in the West, war must now come to an end in the East... Another great evil exists from Japan, just as it did from Germany... And just as the Reich, we will eradicate the evil Imperial Japanese and their empire from the world._

 _Unfortunately for me, my closest friend, Dimitri Petrenko, will not be participating in this glorious campaign. He had been severely injured in the capture of the Reichstag... But he survived, and he would make a full recovery as he healed in one of our hospitals. At least he shared in razing the Nazis to the ground._

 _But sadly, Comrade Chernov will not be returning... His wounds were too great. His last act was a brave one, rushing into the Reichstag with the Red Banner, only for a German with a flamethrower to end his life... I admit, his merciful nature to the enemy, an enemy that didn't deserve mercy, was aggravating... But I'll also admit, he was still a good soldier... And you can't ask for any more of that... At least I still have Dimitri._

 _However, I will have to embark on the glorious destruction of the Japanese empire by myself... I have become a greater leader of my troops, but even then, I am not alone... Mikhail Vylkalev, another close comrade, will be able to share in this honorable fight. He will be at my side, just as he was in Russia._

 _With my voyage from Berlin to join the fight in the East, I remained very patriotic... I will lead my troops into Manchuria just as I did into Germany. I will fight with just as much fury, just as much anger against this new enemy... Evil is evil, no matter where it comes from, and it should all be destroyed._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Viktor Reznov_

 _Captain of the Red Army_


	28. M-13: Reds Revisit

_Dimitri will recover, and this war will end soon. Japan has already lost, but they still continue to fight... Well, I'll simply inform them of their defeat. The Manchurian operation will finally crush the Japanese empire in China, and we will help form the ring of steel that strangles Japan into submission. First, we will eliminate the defenses in the countrysides, then we move on to our primary targets... Luckily, I found some old allies to help us in our endeavor to win._

 **'Reds Revisit'**

 **Manchuria, China**

 **August 12, 1945**

 **Cpt. Viktor Reznov**

 **2nd Red Banner Army**

Manchuria, I had arrived just a few days ago, just before the punishing bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki... Now, as I stood a top a hill, I looked over the landscape of Northern China, just waiting eagerly to move out and fight the Japanese, to inflict wrath them the same as we did the Germans. Whether this is Stalin's goal or not, I will help free this country from the evil, genocidal oppression of the Imperial Japanese.

I surveyed the different jungles and long grass covered fields, even seeing houses of rich Chinese architecture in the distance. When I turned back behind me, I saw great numbers of Russian troops, armed to the teeth with PPSH guns, DP-28 guns, SVT-40 rifles and some even with PPS-42 guns. They were all battle ready and trained, and just as eager as I am to fight... I looked over them with the greatest pride, as it is an honor to lead these brave men into battle once more... As well as another comrade, the female Border Collie dog, Mischa... Dimitri had found her as a puppy under a tank at Kursk, now we had trained the highly intelligent dog to be a skilled and helpful sentry... And a close companion.

As Mischa sat next to me, looking up as I gave her a pet, that's when a hand was placed on my shoulder, and I looked over to see the hand coming from Mikhail Vylkalev, my new second in command. Dimitri needed to heal since Berlin, so as my closest friend stayed behind in a hospital, Vylkalev would step up to assume these new responsibilities. While we did have some friction, we seemed to work well together.

"...Captain Reznov," Vylkalev spoke, "the 'Hero of Berlin'."

"...So I am." I said casually.

"Will you be ready for this new campaign, Captain?"

"I'm ready, I'm ready to lead my men... And rid this new evil from the world."

"I know well you don't care for the Nazis, Viktor," Vylkalev said, "It seems you hate the Japs as well."

"The _Imperial Japs,_ of course I hate them," I said in a correcting tone, "The Imperial Japanese are evil, they're brutal, genocidal murderers and cowards who have murdered tens of millions of innocents across China, and ravaged their homes... They're just as evil as the Nazis, and they well deserve every harsh, merciless punishment inflicted on them."

"Well it's good you see that," Vylkalev spoke, "I'm still waiting to see how you'll lead your men now that you are the overall commander... We'll see if you can erase my skepticism."

I looked at the compass presented in my hand, using it to point out directions, then I closed it and put it into my trench coat pocket. "I'll prove it... They're my men, so I'll prove it."

"And as I said, we will see," Vylkalev said, then he and I turned to the rest of the men, then Vylkalev spoke, "We are to be liberators of this country, the Chinese are our allies, so all the men under this command shall treat these people with merciful respect... The Japanese, however, are the enemy, a murderous enemy... So to them, you will be anything but merciful... You are honorable and disciplined soldiers of Russia, brave fighters, and you will show the cowardly Japanese the valor of the Red Army!"

This resulted in a great cheer from the soldiers, and then I spoke, "Brave Comrades, You have been given the honor of ridding the evil Japanese empire from this world... Charge forth, men, and rip their empire and their wretched soldiers to shreds!"

With that, as I held a PPSH gun and had a DP 28 gun across my back while Vylkalev held his own PPSH, we all readied our weapons and looked towards the lands before us, determined to move on... Then the whistles sounded and we were off... Vylkalev and I, both wielding PPSH guns, were leading the men in charging across the field, numerous Russian soldiers following after with loyal determination as several T-34 tanks rolled in as well, while Mischa rushed in at our side.

"Find and destroy any Japanese forces in our path!" Vylkalev spoke.

Vylkalev and I charged across the grasslands, Russian soldiers rushing in behind us as we braved through distant enemy machine gun fire that blazed over us... But the T-34 tanks moving in at our sides blazed rounds at the Japanese nests, letting us continue charging across the fields.

Several other distant enemy machine gun nests blazed constant fire, but as we soldiers fired shots back, the T-34 tanks fired shells that fended off the enemy nests, letting us move forward even further... We kept moving forward until we came to our first target, a field filled with enemy positions, trenches and machine gun nests, and so, we moved in to attack.

"Eliminate their positions, Comrades," Vylkalev ordered, "Send them all to Hell!"

"Burn and raze every one of them!" I shouted, furiously.

With me and Vylkalev leading them, the Russians charged forth, firing shots that raked the Japanese defenses as the T-34s stayed behind and blazed supportive shells. Still, as we charged and fired shots, the enemy soldiers blazed machine gun and rifle fire to try and fend us off... But we kept bravely facing the enemy shots raining over us and kept up our assault, firing rifle fire that riddled the enemy defenses. Mischa, meanwhile, jumped from cover to cover until she reached an enemy nest, pouncing and then mauling two Japanese soldiers, ripping their flesh with her sharp teeth.

"Spread out and use the terrain for cover," I ordered, "You men, give suppressing fire for the others... We'll send those svoloches to Hell!"

The Russians kept advancing with great determination, following my orders by spreading out and using different rocks, plants and foxholes for cover, then aiming and firing shots that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers in the different defenses, then I fired and shot two Japanese soldiers. With Vylkalev and I shooting some Japanese soldiers, however, enemy troops fired intense machine gun shots back that riddled numerous Russians. In response, I fired my PPSH and nailed four soldiers and then shot up a couple positions, then Vylkalev gunned a couple enemies down. As enemy gunshots rained over them rather heavily, Russian soldiers fired gunshots from their cover pieces that riddled several Japanese and shot up a few nests while I shot four more enemies with PPSH fire. However, the Japanese defenses kept firing shots that nailed multiple friendlies, so in response, I fired intense shots that furiously riddled Japanese positions, shooting a couple more positions to shreds as Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers, then the Russians fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese and shot up several different positions. As I gunned two more enemies down in a nest, the Japanese fired shots that nailed several friendlies, so I gunned two more soldiers down in a nest, then the Russians fired more shots that raked and pinned enemy positions. I shot four more soldiers as Vylkalev gunned a couple more enemies down, then I shot up another position.

"Slaughter these savage animals!" a Russian stated.

The Russians fired immense gunshots that riddled the Japanese nests and trenches, shooting multiple different enemies in the fierce fighting. I shot up a couple nests as Vylkalev gunned a few soldiers down, then I shot up four soldiers in a trench. A couple Banzai chargers started to rush in, but I simply aimed and gunned them down, then Vylkalev aimed and shot a couple more enemies. As I shot up a couple more positions, the Russians fired intense rifle fire that cut numerous Japanese soldiers to shreds in vicious fighting, then I shot up four more Japanese in a different trench line. We all fired and eliminated several more positions and trenches, with me shooting two more soldiers. Then, a midst the heavy fighting, Vylkalev shot a few more Japanese as I gunned two other soldiers down, letting us fight more nests in this field while Mischa tackled and mauled an enemy.

Vykalev and I kept fighting bravely against the Japanese defenses, with Russian soldiers firing immense cover shots that raked and pinned enemy troops in heavy intensity, with bullets raining and flying all over. Enemy gunshots still blazed, so I gunned down two more soldiers as Vylkaev fired and nailed several other Japanese, all while the Russians braved enemy gunshots and fired rifle fire that riddled multiple Japanese. As we kept on moving, Vylkalev and I fired shots that riddled some enemies in a trench, then the Russians fired gunfire that shot up several different nests. Some friendly soldiers were gunned down, but we kept braving past enemy shots, with me shooting two soldiers as Vylkalev gunned a few Japanese down, then I shot four more soldiers. The Russians fired gunfire that cut multiple Japanese down, then I shot two more enemies.

"Chyort... I'll kill you filthy Jap bastards!" a Russian shouted, firing his gun.

"Burn in Hell, you wretched svoloche!" another Russian soldier said.

As I shot two more soldiers, a couple of Russian soldiers lit and threw Molotov cocktails at Japanese nests, splashing flames that burned away several Japanese soldiers, then I gunned two more enemies down. Vylkalev shot up a nest as I rushed at two Japanese soldiers an slashed them down with my knife, then I aimed and gunned another soldier down as the Russians fired shots that riddled numerous Japanese to bloody shreds, some friendly bullets ripping off limbs and pieces of flesh. I fired and shot four more soldiers as Vylkalev gunned down a couple more enemies as well, then I aimed and shot two more soldiers. With the Russians firing gunfire that shot up several more positions and a trench to pieces, the enemy defenses were clearing up even more. Still, enemy soldiers remained and kept blazing shots to fend us off, but Vylkalev shot a few more soldiers as I shot up and destroyed a few more positions, then as they braved past enemy shots, the Russians fired intense hails of gunfire that riddled and shot numerous more Japanese to shreds, furiously cutting them down. I then shot four more remaining soldiers as Vylkalev and the Russians fired and shot up the last several remaining enemy nests and trenches as I gunned two more soldiers down... The enemy defenses were destroyed.

"We've won, Comrades," Vylkalev shouted, "Move and crush any more who dare to resist!"

"These filthy svoloches will be crushed by the might of the Red Army!" I said with fervor.

Our enemies defeated here, we moved across the terrain, leaving the burned and charred enemy defenses behind as we made our way towards a ridge. Eventually, our forces separated, with Vylkalev and I leading most of the infantry through a different pathway as the tanks veered off towards another field with some soldiers... Strangely, as we came closer, we started hearing sounds of bullets whistling nearby.

"There must be allies nearby," Vylkalev spoke, "Let's find and assist them."

With that, we came over towards the ridge, Vylkalev and I looking over to see what the commotion was about... Indeed, it was quite a chaotic, and rather surprising sight we found ourselves looking upon.

We looked over and saw a trench line filled with Japanese infantry firing rifle shots at an opposing trench... However, as I looked over, I saw the other trench did not contain Russians. Instead they contained a different battle hardened ally. These soldiers lining the other trench and firing rifle shots back at the Japanese trench, I saw had tan uniforms, some wearing backpacks, ammunition pouches or bandoliers, while all were wielding and firing Kar 98k rifles, Thompson guns and Vz. 26 machine guns. Most significantly, most of these friendly soldiers, most with mustaches, wore German stahlhelm helmets while some others wore tan field caps... And they each bore the insignia of the blue circle with the white sun... They were Chinese soldiers.

"Look, Chinese soldiers," Vylkalev pointed out, "We need to help them."

The Chinese and Japanese trenches fired hails of gunfire at each other, shooting each other' different soldiers and raking pieces off the other's trench positions. The line of Chinese fired intense gunfire from the trench and shot up numerous Japanese and shot up their positions in the opposing trench, while the Japanese trench fired shots back that nailed multiple Chinese n their trench, and the two sides just kept firing heavily at each other's sides. When we came near the two trenches firing hails of rifle fire at one another, Vylkalev and I fired shots that nailed some soldiers in the Japanese trench as the Russians fired intense cover that raked the enemy trench line. A midst the fierce fighting, the line of Chinese infantry fired intense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese in the other trench while I shot several soldiers. Suddenly, I saw a young Chinese soldier come rush in near me, aim a scoped Kar 98k rifle at the enemy trench and fire shots that skillfully nailed several Japanese in the trench, further causing bewilderment for the enemy. Japanese gunshots from the trench gunned numerous Chinese down in the other trench, but as I fired shot to cover them, the Chinese fired hails of gunfire back and shot multiple Japanese in the opposing trench while braving enemy gunshots. Vylkalev and I kept firing cover shots as the Russians fired some shots that nailed more and more enemies, then the line of Chinese fired immense gunfire that shot numerous more Japanese.

Eventually, we kept firing until we eliminated the last of the Japanese here... We had won, "Cease fire," I ordered, "The svoloches are finished!"

With the enemies gone, the Russians and I walked over to meet with the Chinese soldiers, who came out of the trench to greet all of us. I looked over the Chinese troops, who were seeming weary, understandable due to their serving eight years of war, but still, they all appeared to be strong and capable fighters, and they looked grateful for our help. One Chinese soldier, their leader, walked over to me and Vylkalev.

This Chinese officer was thin, yet fit and six foot tall, wearing a stahlhelm and a single bandolier over his typical uniform, though not much else. He had a somewhat aged face and a mustache, and the funny thing is, as I looked over his face, I actually recognized this man... Captain Chen Li-Jin.

"Viktor Reznov," Chen spoke with a proud smile as he graciously shook my hand, "My very good friend, It is wonderful to see you again... I've been worrying about you since we met at Nomonhan."

"As with you, my friend," I responded with a joyful smile to see my comrade again, "You've handled yourself well over these years... This is my second in command, Lieutenant Mikhail Vylkalev, who's been at my side since Kharkov."

"Well I am very happy for your help, from all of you," Chen stated, "Welcome to China, my friends... The Generalissimo may not trust you, Communists... But _I_ say, anyone willing to kill Japs is welcome among my forces."

That's when another Chinese soldier came up next to Chen, the sniper who assisted us, in which she revealed herself as a young woman in her twenties giving us a gracious smile. Chen then introduced her, "Viktor, this is Mei Lin, my right hand."

I looked over Chen's Lieutenant, Mei Lin. She was actually a very beautiful young, tan woman with pretty thin eyes and her black hair shaped in a hime cut, presenting full bangs covering her forehead while the rest of her hair was tied up in a braided ponytail. She had a thin face and a slender figure while standing at medium height, a bit shorter than me... Her uniform somewhat resembled a KMT soldier, as instead of the typical Zhongshan suit, she wore a tan worker's jumpsuit, a KMT soldier's jacket, which she left unbuttoned and the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a grey scarf around her neck, finger less gloves, standard army boots and a belt which presented ammo pouches... While in battle, she wore a German M35 Stahlhelm on her head, and as her secondary weapon, an M1928 Thompson gun, was slung across her back, her hands presented her primary weapon, a scoped Karabiner 98k rifle.

Once she removed her helmet from her head, she looked up at me, giving me a very warm smile... I could tell from this that she had a very kind, friendly and helpful persona, while still a brave and skilled fighter.

"I assure you, she's very skilled," Chen said, "She will assist us greatly."

"Well, you know I have the highest expectations." I said.

"And she will live up to them," Chen responded, "We all will... Now what are we waiting for, let us find some of those Japanese pigs for us to kill."

With that we all started rushing down the grasslands to engage further Japanese forces and start clearing them out of Manchuria. We moved through the different fields and jungles and then we came upon some pathways... And Chen had an idea there.

"We're coming up to some Japanese defenses," Chen spoke, "That path to the right lead to ridges that could provide perfect covering fire... Viktor, if you could take your men up there, you can give good cover with successive attacks in a pincer move as I lead an assault through the front."

"Are you sure of this, Chen?" I asked, concerned.

"My men can handle this," Chen responded reassuringly, with a calm hand on my shoulder, "We will be fine, especially with your help."

"Come on, Reznov," Vylkalev said, "Let's get going."

Chen lead his Chinese forces across the field before us, while Vylkalev and I lead the Russians up the pathway leading to the ridges, with Mischa following after. As we moved up, we started seeing Japanese defenses on the grounds below... Hopefully, this would work out, but we would give our best effort nevertheless.

Vylkalev and I lead the Russian troops up onto the ridges to the right as Chen and Lin lead the Chinese forces across the field. I wielded my DP-28 gun as we moved up through the elevated ground, with Russians lining the ridges here, then we all took positions as we gazed down on the fields just before us. We saw a Japanese trench line, filled with Japanese riflemen and machine gunners. As we Russians aimed our guns at the Japanese defenses from the elevated ridges, we saw the Chinese forces moving into the field... Then we struck.

"Fire," I shouted, "Burn these svoloches!"

"Die, you Jap bastards!" a Russian said, firing his gun.

The Chinese were immediately rushing the field before us from the left, firing rifle shots at the enemy line as they charged while the Japanese rained hails of gunshots on the Chinese forces. However, we Russians fired gunfire from the higher up ridge to the right side of the field, firing cover shots that raked the enemy trench and shot multiple Japanese defenders. The Japanese kept firing immense hails of gunfire at the charging Chinese, shooting multiple Chinese soldiers to pieces while raking and pinning some others. I fired my DP gun and shot six Japanese in the trench as Vylkalev gunned a few others down, though the Japanese kept firing gunfire that cut numerous more Chinese to shreds, some powerful bullets ripping off limbs and pieces of flesh from some Chinese friendlies. A midst the vicious fighting, I fired and shot five more enemies with DP fire as the Russians fired cover shots that nailed several more enemies, then Vylkalev gunned a few others down. The Japanese fired more gunfire that shot numerous Chinese in the field, but the Chinese soldiers took cover in the field and fired shots back that raked the trench and shot multiple Japanese soldiers in return. As the Chinese fired shots that raked and pinned Japanese trench defenders, I gunned two more soldiers down as well.

The Chinese kept charging across the field, firing rifle shots that raked the enemy trench and shot several Japanese. In the hard, fierce fighting, the Russians fired cover shots from our ridge positions that furiously riddled the Japanese trench, shooting several more enemies and further diminishing their defenses. However, while the Chinese were charging the field and firing rifle shots at the Japanese trench, the enemies kept firing gunfire that cut multiple Chinese to pieces. Vylkalev and I fired cover shots that raked and pinned enemies as the Russians fired and shot multiple enemy trench defenders. I shot five more Japanese as Vylkalev gunned several soldiers down, though the Japanese fired hails of gunfire that nailed multiple Chinese in the field. Chen and Lin fired gunfire that shot multiple enemies in the vicious battle, and as the Russians shot several more enemies with cover fire, the Chinese moved up and shot numerous Japanese in the trench as I gunned two others down.

"Cover Chen and eliminate the trench!" Vylkalev spoke.

As we Russians kept firing cover shots at the enemy line, the Chinese kept rushing at the trench, firing rifle shots that riddled the trench and shot some more enemies. Vylkalev and I fired intense cover shots that raked the Japanese trench as the Japanese fired gunshots that cut numerous Chinese down, though the Russians blazed cover that struck several enemies in return. With Chen and Lin firing gunshots from their field positions and shooting some more enemies, the enemy defense dwindled severely, though some remaining Japanese held on, firing shots that cut multiple Chinese to shreds... However, as we kept firing cover that raked the trench, the Chinese fired rifle shots that nailed multiple enemies, leaving only several Japanese remaining... The Chinese rushed in and finished them off with their fists and bayonets.

However, as the Chinese soldiers lined their new trench line and aimed their guns at the field before them, Japanese forces came in to try and retake it, which Mischa barked at to help alert us towards... So we Russians and Chinese immediately fired gunfire to fend them off.

"Shit, Japanese soldiers incoming!" a Russian said.

"Chyort, keep firing," a Russian shouted, "Rip these Jap bastards to shreds!"

A vicious battle ensued as the line of Chinese fired immense gunfire from their new trench and shot multiple incoming Japanese in the opposing field, while we Russians kept firing cover shots at the enemies from our elevated ridge positions. With the Chinese firing fiery hails of gunfire that cut multiple more Japanese to shreds in the vicious, hard fighting, I fired and shot five enemies with my DP gun as Vylkalev gunned several soldiers with his PPSH, then I kept firing DP fire that nailed six more Japanese in the field as the line of Chinese soldiers kept firing intense rifle fire from their trench and shot numerous incoming Japanese in the field. While I fired cover shots, Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down and then the Russians fired gunshots that raked and pinned some Japanese in the field below, then I shot five more enemies with DP fire. With us Russians raining furious cover shots on the Japanese, the Chinese fired intense gunfire from the trench line and shot multiple Japanese in the field, then as Vylkalev and I fired cover, the Russians blazed shots that nailed several other enemies as the Chinese fired more hails of gunfire that shot multiple Japanese.

The Chinese soldiers kept fighting hard in the fierce battle as we Russians bravely covered them from the ridge to the side against the incoming Japanese forces. Chen and Lin fired shots from the trench that raked enemy soldiers while I fired DP fire and nailed five Japanese, then the Russians fired cover shots that tore multiple enemies to pieces. Vylkalev shot a few other enemies, but as the Chinese kept fighting and firing rifle shots that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers, some enemies blazed shots back and struck several Chinese in the trench. In response, I fired and shot five more enemies as the Chinese fired gunfire that cut multiple Japanese to shreds, some bullets ripping off limbs and flesh pieces from enemies. Vylkalev gunned a few soldiers down as the Russians fired shots from our ridge that nailed multiple enemies. In the vicious fighting, I fired DP fire that shot six enemies as the Chinese kept firing rifle fire that shot numerous Japanese as well as Vylkalev and I fired cover shots.

With us fighting hard to fend off the Japanese assaults, we were seeing that the enemy force was beginning to dwindle... So, we kept up the defense to destroy them completely. With the Chinese firing rifle shots from their trench and shooting more soldiers while raking and pinning some enemies with gunshots, I fired intense cover fire that riddled multiple Japanese in the field, while Vylkalev fired cover shots as well. Though more Japanese kept charging in and firing their rifles, the Russians fired gunshots that nailed multiple enemies as I fired and shot six more Japanese with DP fire, then the line Chinese infantry in the trench fired hails of immense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to shreds... Eventually, the enemy troops were diminished by our firepower, sending them into retreat, and showing we had won here... Now it was off to the next target.

"Move up and raze any of these savage animals!" I shouted.

"We'll burn all those wretched Jap svoloches!" a Russian stated.

As the Chinese moved across the grasslands, Vylkalev and I made our way across this elevated ridge to provide cover for Chen and his troops. As we moved up, we ultimately found ourselves staring down at a new set of Japanese defenses below us from the ridge. I saw numerous different enemy positions, filled with riflemen and machine guns waiting to fend off any attack.

"Take position and get ready to attack, Comrades." Vylkalev stated.

With us all aiming our guns at the Japanese positions below, we waited, just until Chen and his forces made their assault on the enemy positions, starting a fierce skirmish... and just as the Chinese and Japanese guns were firing, we Russians all fired cover at enemies from our new ridge.

"Fire," I shouted, firing my gun, "Kill these filthy Jap bastards!"

I fired intense gunfire that shot up different enemy positions, with me shooting multiple Japanese soldiers in those positions with DP shots. As the Russians rained gunfire down on the Japanese positions, the Chen bravely lead his Chinese forces in assaulting the enemy nests, with Chinese soldiers firing rifle fire that raked enemy positions and shooting up Japanese soldiers. However, the Japanese positions fired gunfire back and shot multiple Chinese, with a few machine guns even blazing towards our Russian posts. In response, Vylkalev and I fired shots back that raked the enemy positions, with me gunning two soldiers down and then aiming and shooting a machine gunner, then I shot up a position. Though the Japanese fired shots that cut numerous Chinese down, the Russians fired furious cover shots that riddled the enemy nests, then the Chinese fired intense gunfire that shot numerous Japanese and riddled different positions to pieces. As I gunned two more soldiers down and then shot up a machine gunner, Vylkalev then shot several more soldiers with PPSH shots. Japanese soldiers fired gunfire from their positions and shot some more Chinese, but I shot up a couple more positions as the Chinese fired gunfire that nailed multiple Japanese and shot up several positions while I fired and shot five more Japanese.

The Japanese soldiers kept firing shots that raked and pinned Chinese troops, with a few enemy machine gunners blazing towards our Russian positions. In response, the Russians furiously fired intense gunshots that fiercely raked the Japanese positions, shooting up several nests while I aimed and shot a machine gunner blazing toward my comrades. The Chinese fired more intense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese soldiers, then fired shots that riddled and destroyed different positions. I shot up a position as Vylkalev fired and nailed a few more enemies, then I shot another machine gunner. More Japanese positions were furiously shot up and destroyed, further diminishing the enemy defenses as I shot up a couple more infantry positions. As the Japanese fired gunshots that nailed multiple Chinese, Chen and Lin fired shots that destroyed several more positions, then I shot five more Japanese soldiers and then gunned down another machine gunner blazing for us. Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down as I shot two soldiers, then the Russians fired shots that riddled several more positions. As I fired and shot five more soldiers, the Chinese fired intense rifle fire that shot numerous Japanese and destroyed several remaining positions, then I shot a couple more positions to pieces.

"Eliminate these wretched svoloches!" a Russian shouted.

"Burn in Hell, you animal!" another Russian said.

After much hard fighting, with us Russians bravely firing cover shot at the Japanese, the Chinese finally destroyed the remaining enemy positions. The Chinese forces then tarted moving on further, with Chen leading them with furious passion.

"Forward, men," Chen spoke, "Drive and rid these devils from our lands!"

Immediately, Vylkalev and I lead our Russian soldiers across the ridge to continue fighting the Japanese defenses in the area, allowing the Chinese to assault and overrun them... Eventually, this field would be cleared of enemy forces, so that we could move further inland.

Moving along the ridge, we came upon a new area overlooking a second Japanese defensive line. With us Russians taking positions on this new ridge, we aimed at the enemy line, just waiting to strike... And as the Chinese forces began to move onto the field, we opened fire.

"I'll kill those Jap bastards!" a Russian shouted, firing his gun.

"Shit... Die, you animals!" another Russian said.

We Russians all fired shots from our ridge positions and shot up the second trench, pinning the enemy defenders. With me gunning two soldiers down, as we kept firing cover shots, Chen and Lin lead their Chinese forces into the field, having them assault the second Japanese trench line. Fierce fighting raged on as I fired and shot five more enemies in the trench from this ridge, then Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down. The Russians fired cover shots from our ridge positions and shot multiple enemies in the trench while Chinese kept charging and firing rifle shots at the enemy line. However, the Japanese fired gunfire that cut numerous Chinese down while enemy rifle shots and machine gun fire kept raking and pinning other Chinese and forcing them to cover. I shot two more enemies as the Chinese held positions in the field and fired intense rifle fire that nailed several Japanese, then I gunned two more soldiers down as Vylkalev shot several more enemies. A midst the fiery battle, the Japanese kept firing shots that cut numerous Chinese down, enemy machine guns blazing and ripping several Chinese soldiers to bloody, fleshy pieces, but I fired DP fire and shot five more enemies while the Russian soldiers fired cover shots and gunned several more Japanese down.

The friendly Chinese forces kept bravely charging the field, pressing on past furious enemy machine gun fire that rained all over them. However, we Russians kept firing cover shots from this elevated ridge that riddled Japanese soldiers and positions, helping the friendly Chinese assault move forward. I fired and shot six more Japanese with DP gunfire from the ridge as Chen and Lin fired gunshots from their field positions and riddled some enemies in their opposing trench, then Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers as well. In the vicious fighting, the Chinese fired intense rifle fire that nailed multiple Japanese, and then we Russians fired more gunshots that nailed some other Japanese soldiers, and soon, the enemy defenses were dwindling greatly. Still, they held on, with Japanese soldiers firing gunfire that cut numerous Chinese down, but I responded by firing and shooting five Japanese in the trench, then Vylkalev and the Russians fired cover shots from our ridge that raked multiple enemies. As the Chinese fired rifle fire and shot multiple enemies in the trench, the Japanese defense became severely diminished.

"I'll burn you Jap svoloches!" a Russian shouted while firing from this ridge.

"Move up, take the trench line!" Chen ordered to his soldiers.

With Chen and Lin leading the charge, the Chinese rushed the trench, clearing away the defenders, and then seizing the formerly enemy line for themselves... And as the Chinese lined the trench and aimed their guns, more Japanese reinforcements came in to confront them.

"Men, turn their weapons against them," Chen spoke, "Slice those savages!"

The Chinese infantry fired hails of intense gunfire from their trench line and shot numerous Japanese to pieces, with some bullets slicing off limbs, then I gunned two enemies down as Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers, then I shot two more soldiers. While the Chinese fired rifle fire that raked and pinned incoming Japanese forces, we Russians fired some shots from our ridge line, furiously riddling Japanese soldiers coming at the new Chinese trench line. With the Russians firing cover shots and the line of Chinese soldiers firing intense gunfire from the trench line and shooting multiple Japanese in vicious fighting, I fired DP gunfire that shot six enemies as Vylkalev gunned a few Japanese down with his PPSH, then the Russians fired shots from our ridge that nailed some enemies. A midst the fierce fighting, I gunned two more enemies down as the Chinese line fired intense gunfire that cut numerous more Japanese to bloody pieces, then I gunned two other soldiers down as well.

The vicious battle raged as we kept bravely fighting the Japanese assaults, with Russian soldiers firing cover shots from our ridge and shooting some more enemies down while the Chinese fired immense gunfire that cut multiple Japanese to pieces. Vylkalev and I fired cover shots that furiously raked the Japanese soldiers charging at the Chinese line, though enemy soldiers fired shots back and gunned several Chinese friendlies down in the trench. I shot five more Japanese as Vylkalev fired and nailed several more enemies, all while the Russian and Chinese soldiers kept firing shots that riddled more Japanese infantry. As I gunned two enemies down, the Japanese fired rifle shots that nailed multiple Chinese, but I fired intense DP fire that shot five more enemies. The Chinese fired immense gunfire that shot numerous Japanese as Vylkalev and I fired furious gunshots at incoming Japanese forces, but as the Russians fired immense cover shots for them, the line of Chinese fired intense gunfire that cut multiple enemies to shreds.

Fighting raged on, but we saw the Japanese offense beginning to diminish greatly, so we all kept blazing shots even as the enemy assault continued to press forward. I gunned two soldiers down while Vylkalev shot a few enemies, then I fired DP gunfire and nailed six more Japanese. The Chinese fired intense shots that cut multiple enemies down, then the Russians blazed cover that raked some more Japanese as I gunned two others down. However, as we kept firing shots at them, the Japanese fired back and shot several Chinese as well. In return, I fired and shot five more Japanese as Vylkalev shot several other soldiers, then I gunned two more enemies down. With us Russians firing cover, the Chinese fired hails of fiery gunfire that shot numerous more Japanese... And after much hard fighting, we finally destroyed the Japanese assaults and secured our victory.

"Reznov," Chen called over to us, "We'll move across here and strike the village, will you be able to keep moving along the ridge?"

"Come on, Viktor," Vylkalev said, "Let's get near that village."

While Chen and Lin lead their Chinese forces across the fields towards this village, Vylkalev and I continued to have our Russian troops move along the ridge, going through a pathway as we came upon some grasslands with different mounds, rocks and plants.

Here, however, we found a new obstacle in the form of enemy machine gun nests and a couple of Type 97 Chi Ha tanks down the terrain, all awaiting to just try and stop us... Well as I took out my PPSH, we went to deal away with this obstacle so we could move on.

"You men, stay behind cover," I ordered, "Give suppressing fire as we move to raze those wretched svoloches!"

"Our own tanks are still tied up... How will we destroy those damned tanks, Viktor?!" Vylkalev wondered.

"I will find a way, Mikhail.' I answered.

With some Russians following me and Vylkalev as we started moving to closer cover pieces, the other Russians held positions by rocks, plants and mounds, firing different rifle shots at enemy soldiers and positions. As the other Russians fired cover shots at Japanese nests for us, I fired my PPSH and shot two soldiers, but enemy machine guns blazed wildly, raking several friendly positions. In response, Vylkalev and I fired wild furious PPSH fire that riddled Japanese soldiers and positions, fiercely raking and pinning enemies, then I aimed and shot a machine gunner blazing at us. While Vylkalev gunned a couple enemies down, I fired and shot four more Japanese, then the other Russians fired immense gunfire that furiously raked and pinned Japanese soldiers and positions, shooting numerous enemies to shreds. However, enemy machine guns still blazed rather desperately, holding their own as Vylkalev and I jumped to new positions closer toward the enemy tanks, which fired shells at friendly posts. I gunned two enemies down as Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers, then I fired and nailed four more Japanese. As they braved incoming enemy shots raining over them, the Russians fired shots that riddled multiple enemies, then as I dodged a volley, I shot another machine gunner.

The fierce skirmish raged on as the enemy tanks kept blazing shells at friendly positions, with enemy machine guns firing shots at them as well. I fired PPSH shots that nailed four more enemies as Vylkalev gunned a few others down, then I shot up another machine gun nest. We were beginning to clear away the last of the enemies here now, with Russians firing intense rifle fire at Japanese defenses, furiously raking them, then I shot up another nest before rushing over into it to take cover... And as the enemy tanks loomed over, to my apparent luck, I noticed mortar shells in this nest. Taking a shell, I primed it and then threw it at one of the tanks, damaging it. I then quickly primed another shell and threw it, finally destroying the tank just as it blazed a shell near me. Vylkalev fired cover shots that raked a couple nests as I aimed and shot another machine gunner blazing at me. The other tank started to aim towards me as I shot two soldiers, then I dodged a tank shell and a volley of machine gun fire as I aimed and gunned two more enemies down. With that, I grabbed a shell and threw it to damage the tank, then I dodged another tank round blasting bits near me as I primed and threw another shell, destroying the last tank. Vylkalev gunned a couple more soldiers down as I then shot up a machine gun nest.

"That's the end for you!" a Russian said to the enemy.

"You were on the wrong side!" another Russian soldier said to the enemy.

After some more fighting, with Mischa charging, pinning and ripping at a Japanese soldier with her teeth, we finally eliminated the last of the enemy defenses here. A Banzai charger came at me, but I grabbed his rifle with one hand and then I punched him with my other fist, then I stabbed him with my knife to finish him off.

I then lit a Molotov cocktail and threw it at an enemy nest, smashing an spraying fire that incinerated a few Japanese and then we moved on, further down the terrain. As we moved up further down, we started to see come to some trees, and past them, we could spot the village just beyond, where Chen and his troops would be.

"Chen should be there right now." Vylkalev said.

"Excellent," I responded, "We'll be just as ready to help them fight."

"Then we can move on to the supply camp."

"As soon as we take the village, of course we will."

"Let's see if you'll be up for it, Viktor."

"You know that I am." I said, brandishing my DP-28 gun.

We all entered the trees lining another ridge. Vylkalev and I lined our Russian soldiers along these trees while looking at the village before us that was filled with Japanese troops. Chen's Chinese forces were already at the perimeter, fiercely battling Japanese enemies in the village outskirts.

"Attack, men," Chen ordered, "Strike the village!"

"Cover them, Reznov!" Vylkalev said.

In a vicious skirmish, the Chinese fired intense rifle fire that shot numerous Japanese soldiers in the streets and houses in the outskirts of the village, while Chinese soldiers kept firing shots that raked and pinned more enemy positions and soldiers. However, Japanese soldiers fired rifle shots and machine gun fire from the houses that cut multiple Chinese to pieces, but we Russians fired gunshots that riddled the Japanese positions, covering our allies, and letting the Chinese fire intense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese in the village outskirts in fierce fighting. Enemy gunshots still rained over the Chinese from the houses, but I fired DP gunfire that shot six Japanese as the Chinese braved the enemy shots and fired rifle fire back that riddled the Japanese positions. Vylkalev shot several enemies as I fired and nailed five more Japanese, but the Japanese fired more shots from the houses and streets and shot numerous Chinese on the perimeter. Still, the Russians kept firing cover shots that raked several enemies in the houses, with Vylkalev shooting a few more soldiers as I shot five other Japanese with DP fire. In the vicious fighting, the Chinese kept firing intense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese soldiers and riddled enemy positions as Vylkalev and I fired cover shots at enemy house positions.

I kept firing shots that riddled Japanese positions in the outskirt houses, and the fierce skirmish raged furiously as the Chinese on the perimeter kept braving enemy shots and firing rifle fire that shot numerous Japanese in the houses and outskirt streets. The Japanese still fired heavy gunshots that raked and pinned Chinese positions, but we Russians fired hails of cover fire that riddled the Japanese positions and shot multiple enemies. With this, as I fired and shot six enemies, the Chinese fired intense gunfire that riddled and destroyed different Japanese positions in the village perimeter. Even though the outside village defense wore down, enemy soldiers still held on, firing shots that gunned multiple Chinese friendlies down. Still, Vylkalev shot several more soldiers as I fired and nailed five enemies, then the Russians fired shots that riddled several more positions to pieces. Eventually, after hard, vicious fighting, the Chinese fired shots that nailed multiple Japanese and destroyed several positions, finally breaking the perimeter defenses. Chen then lead his Chinese forces into the village, fighting any Japanese resistance in the streets and house deeper in.

We Russians still fired cover shots from our tree positions, shooting any Japanese soldier in the village trying to fend off the Chinese assault. In a vicious battle, Chinese soldiers fired rifle fire from their street positions in the village and shot numerous Japanese in the houses and streets surrounding them, all while braving the enemy gunshots raining over them. I gunned two soldiers down in a house as the Chinese fired rifle fire from their street positions and shot multiple enemies in different houses, then I shot two others in another house as the Chinese battled Japanese soldiers in the different streets, firing shots from their street positions and shooting numerous enemies at the other end of the streets. In fierce fighting, I fired and shot five enemies in a couple houses as the Chinese fired gunfire that riddled more Japanese in the houses and streets.

After much hard fighting, the Chinese had cleared away enemy resistance in over half the village. Russians soldiers still blazed cover from the trees and raked enemies with devastating effect. As enemy gunshots rained around them, the Chinese fired and shot more enemies in the different houses surrounding them, but more Japanese appeared in the streets and fired at Chinese troops. However, in fierce fighting, the Chinese fired rifle fire from their street positions and shot multiple Japanese at the other end of the street, eliminating them in fierce street fighting. As I gunned two more down in a house, Vylkalev and the Russians shot up several more enemy positions. The Chinese then fired shots that nailed more enemies in the houses as I shot two more soldiers in a house, then the Chinese fired and shot multiple Japanese in the streets, just nearly seizing the villa.

"Move forward, everyone," Chen spoke, "To victory!"

After much hard fighting, the Chinese fired gunfire that riddled the remaining Japanese troops in the village houses and streets, finally securing the village from the enemy... Now we just had to eliminate the remaining Japanese forces in the area, so we all started to move on even further, with Mischa running at our side to assist.

Chen and Lin lead their Chinese troops down a different pathway as I brandished my PPSH gun then Vylkalev and I were leading our Russian soldiers through different pathways and jungles. As we moved through some trees and paths, we came upon Japanese infantry and positions stationed here.

"Japanese nests," Vylkalev stated, "Raze them!"

Vylkalev and I fired cover shots as the Russian soldiers with us all fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese in the trees of this jungle. I gunned two enemies down as Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers, then I shot up a position, though enemy soldiers fired and gunned several friendlies down. In response, I fired and shot four Japanese as Vylkalev shot up several more enemies, then I gunned two other soldiers down by a tree to the right. With the Russians firing shots that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers in this jungle, I shot up another position, but enemy soldiers fired and shot several Russians. In response, I gunned two more soldiers down to the left while Vylkalev shot a couple other soldiers, then I fired and nailed four more enemies in the fierce skirmish. Russians soldiers fired intense rifle fire and shot numerous Japanese in this jungle battle, while still firing shots that riddled enemy positions, then I gunned down two other soldiers by a tree before shooting up another position. As we kept braving enemy shots, Vylkalev and I fired intense cover that raked enemy positions, then the Russians fired rifle fire that cut several Japanese down.

The Russians kept bravely following from behind with sheer determination to rid the last of the enemy defenses in this jungle, for as this skirmish raged on, we had cleared most of the enemies away. Some Japanese soldiers tried to retreat, but we gunned several of them down while still fighting the remaining enemy nests. The Japanese positions still fired shots to try and fend us off, but we persisted fiercely, with Russians firing more gunfire to shoot up and destroy several more positions, with me gunning two soldiers down by a tree to the right, then Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers with his PPSH as I shot up another position. The Russians fired intense gunfire that riddled multiple enemies to shreds as I fired and shot four more Japanese by some trees, then Vylkalev gunned a couple soldiers down as I shot two more enemies to the left. As the Russians fired gunshots that raked and cut up a few remaining nests, I fired and shot up another position, leaving only some soldiers to contend with.

"Burn those savage rats," I shouted, firing my gun, "Send all these filthy animals to Hell!"

Vylkalev and I fired furious PPSH gunfire that cut several Japanese down, then I charged and slashed another Japanese soldier with my knife as the other Russians fired intense cover shots from their tree positions that riddled the remaining enemies, finally clearing our way to the camp.

With that, We moved past these destroyed enemy posts and continued on the pathway, leading closer towards this supply camp, where we would finally destroy the last of the enemy presence in this area... And finally let us rest.

"The Japanese supply camp should be just near here." Vylkalev spoke.

"Great, they will also burn." I stated

"Chen will help cover our assault." Vylkalev said.

Once we had finished off the enemy defenses, we made our way towards the final objective, a Japanese supply camp, filled with tents, supply holds, crates and infantry armed with Arisaka rifles, Type 100 guns and Type 99 machine guns. I saw Chen's forces positioning themselves at the perimeter of the camp, preparing to cover our advance... Now it was my turn to lead an assault.

"Comrades," I shouted, holding my PPSH, "Charge!"

I lead my Russians in charging the enemy camp in a furious assault, and soon, a fierce skirmish ensued as we all started firing our guns. The Chinese soldiers fired intense cover shots that ripped through the tents in the enemy camp, then I fired PPSH shots that nailed seven Japanese in the camp. We braved past incoming Japanese gunshots and then Russian soldiers fired rifle fire that shot multiple enemies in the hard fighting. Vylkalev and I fired intense PPSH fire that shot multiple Japanese by the camp as the Russians kept firing gunfire that shot numerous more enemies within the camp as well, shooting up their positions. Enemy soldiers fired back and gunned several friendlies down, but as the Chinese fired cover shots that riddled numerous enemy soldiers, we Russians fired shots back that nailed multiple enemies as well. As Vylkalev fired and shot several soldiers, I fired PPSH fire that shot six Japanese, then we moved closer. The enemies kept blazing rounds, but we braved through them and then I fired and shot multiple Japanese as Vylkalev gunned a few others down, then the Russians fired and shot more enemies in the tents as Mischa emerged from behind cover, charged and then furiously mauled two more Japanese soldiers in the fierce skirmish.

We entered the camp and kept fighting fiercely to crush the Japanese resistance, shooting at enemy soldiers all over. Russian soldiers fired and shot up a few tents as I fired PPSH fire that shot nine Japanese soldiers in the camp, then Vylkalev fired and nailed several soldiers. A midst the fierce fighting, a Russian soldier charged and tackled a Japanese soldier and started beating the pinned enemy with his fists, then I shot up a couple tents as some other Russians fired and gunned multiple other Japanese down. We soon came up to the first supply hold, and Vylkalev got to work placing a charge on it, all while I covered him, firing and shooting six more Japanese coming into the camp. After some fierce fighting, I gunned down a Banzai charger and then Vylkalev finished up the charge, getting us to cover as it blew the supply hold to bits, and leaving one more left.

I kept fighting and firing shots at enemies in the tents, gunning down five Japanese and then shooting up another supply tent. Though enemy gunshots blazed and struck several friendlies, the Russians were still fighting furiously, firing gunfire that shot numerous Japanese in the camp. With Vylkalev gunning a few more soldiers down, I fired PPSH fire and shot seven Japanese as the Russians kept firing shots that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers and positions in the camp. After I shot up a couple more tents, Vylkalev rushed up to the last supply hold and placed a charge as I covered him... Then we got to cover as he set it off, destroying the hold. As Vylkalev fired cover shots, I fired and nailed five more soldiers as the Russians shot any remaining enemies left... And that was it, for the camp had been secured, with any remaining Japanese coming out to surrender.

"We've achieved victory, comrades!" I shouted out.

With that, Chen, Lin and the Chinese emerged from the trees and came over to us. We mopped up and secured the camp as several Russian and Chinese soldiers were then shooting and executing some Japanese prisoners. Chen and Lin came over to me and Vylkalev.

"You've fought very well today," Chen spoke, "I will repay you for your assistance."

* * *

The Japanese were cleared from this area of Manchuria. Command has ordered my forces to assist in the fighting at Hailar, so we made preparations to do so, with Chen and his troops deciding to come with us and assist.

With the fighting over here, Chen, Lin and their forces lead me, Vylkalev and our Russian troops to their base. We found this to be a series of cave in the hills that Chen and his Chinese soldiers made their homes. As we walked in these caves, the Chinese soldiers waiting there greeted all of us, even preparing food for us... These soldiers have made quite a living here in these hills.

As we came near each other, Vylkav spoke, "It seems we were successful, but I'm still waiting to see your skills for leadership."

"I told you," I responded, "I'll lead these men as best I can."

"They may see you as this great hero, Viktor," Vylkalev stated, "But I know you're still just a man."

"I never made myself out to be more than that." I said.

"So why are you trying to be something you're not?" Vylkalev stated rather indignantly.

"That's what you told me to do," I said sternly, "...Now that will be all, Lieutenant."

Vylkalev walked off, and that's when Chen came over towards me, eating some cooked noodles from a wooden bowl. "What's with him?" Chen asked.

"...He lost some of his best men in Russia," I said, "...I don't know when, but it happened." I looked around the caves, seeing Chinese soldiers working and relaxing. There were different beds, supplies and ammunition crates and some makeshift kitchens lying around to help these men survive.

"...I've built a very strong army here, Viktor," Chen stated, "They will help serve you very well."

"I know they will," I responded, "They already have."

"From what I hear, Hailar will be a difficult target," Chen continued, "But they can handle it... All my soldiers are strong, brave, skilled... I know this."

"How did you build this?" I asked.

"They might all wear uniforms of the Kuomintang, but we all only serve China," Chen said, "I received my military education in Germany, and I used it to train all these men as vigorously as possible. I taught them to be brave, how to fight with skill... And it's payed off, for we've won most battles we've fought against the Japanese, whether in a conventional sense, or as guerillas."

"You're saying these men are not Nationalists?" I asked.

"We are Nationalists," Chen said, "Following the example of Sun Yat-Sen... But we are neither Kuomintang nor Communists. Those two are only interested in going at each other, but _my_ forces are fully committed to ridding China of the Japanese invaders. We fight conventionally at great times, but we've vastly utilized guerilla tactics, with great effect... Through out this war, we have remained all over China, even a midst the brutal Japanese invasion of these lands, so we can constantly harass them."

"How many men do you have?" I asked.

"Maybe fifty to a hundred thousand, in Nationalist uniform loyal to me, to China," Chen answered, "I teach with much importance to my men that they all behave with extreme respect and compassion to all of China's civilians, we help and feed every village... Much of the villages and countryside who know us greatly support us... It's from these places that we continue gaining more numbers to help fight."

Then another member of Chen's force came up to us, and as I looked him over, he appeared to be a former Japanese soldier. As he handed a paper to Chen, the soldier spoke, "The report of current enemy strength at Hailar, Captain."

Chen accepted the report and then said to me, "Viktor, this is Junichiro, my intelligence officer... Came to our aid after witnessing the evil at Nanking."

"A deserter?" I said.

"A defector," Chen corrected, "As I said, _anyone_ willing to kill Japs is welcome."

Junichiro bowed respectfully to me as I responded with a smile, "Well any comrade of yours is a comrade of mine." I then shook Junichiro's hand and then he walked away, promising to find more information for our next assault."

"My soldiers our known as the 'Wolves'," Chen spoke, "I'll tell you all I can of them... But, there is another thing I'd like to discuss with you."

"What is it?" I asked.

"...There's something, another enemy here in China, far more dangerous and deadly than the Japanese, and even worse, they have been greatly helping the Japanese here in China," Chen stated, "...Locals who've heard refer them as the Hēisè yōulíng... The 'Ghosts in Black'."

"Is that a compliment?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," Chen said, "These 'Ghosts' are very strong, vicious fighters who've won every battle they've engaged in... Still, while they're friends with the Japanese, these 'Ghosts' are very kind and helpful to Chinese villages and civilians living in the countryside, helping villagers and even giving them food. But while they are very kind to civilians here in China, they are extremely brutal and ferocious when fighting enemy combatants. They're very skilled and successful guerilla fighters. They kill as many of their enemies as they can, and then they vanish. They've mostly been fighting Communist Chinese forces here in China as well as British forces in India, viciously and brutally crushing all of them. I've even encountered them, just barely escaping... Locals believe them to be superhuman, even demons, but those are just village stories... Still, they are quite feared by most who've heard."

"...Can you describe them?" I asked of him.

"All I know is that they wear black clothes," Chen answered, "...And wear German helmets like ours."

I decided to decipher this mystery already, "...That's it, these 'Ghosts'," I said, "...They're German soldiers... They're of Hershing's Asien Korps."

"Hershing?" Chen pondered.

"He's a Nazi officer I encountered," I told him, "Back when the Nazis were invading the Soviet Union... He has German forces stationed in China to help the Japanese... His soldiers are very strong."

"Ah, the Germans... I know the evil the Nazis have done... But I will say, before the war, Germany helped China greatly," Chen spoke, taking off his stahlhelm and showing it to me, "For instance, this helmet... To you, it's a symbol Germany's aggression... But to me, it's a symbol of China's continued strength. Germany gave these helmets to China's armies, and they've proven very useful... My 'Wolves' take high value in these helmets, and we've retrieved many of them. We always make sure to recover every helmet in our possession, so that they are passed on to the next soldier... One of the reasons we carry our dead from the battlefield."

"Well, continue to make use of them," I said, "Hershing is working on something here, and I want to find out."

I looked over and saw Mei Lin sitting next to Mischa, happily petting the dog. It seems she already gained a great affection for the canine. Chen then spoke, "It is nice to see she hasn't lost her joy... I hope you still have some optimism left."

"...Maybe." I said.

"...It's my understanding you're an expert on the violin... Lin loves such music."

"...And that reminds me," I said and then walked out of the nearby exit towards a Soviet truck, grabbing a medium sized box and bringing it inside the caves, then setting it down and opening it to reveal my own violin to Chen, "A reminder from my father, before he died."

With that, I took out the violin and placed it along my shoulder... And then I began strumming the bow across the strings, lifting such lovely, calm rhythms in the air and sounding very beautiful music. As I played the violin, some Chinese and Russians nearby came over to listen and be mesmerized by the lovely sounds. Mei Lin came over and sat in front of me to listen, and as I played, she looked to be very touched by the beautiful, graceful music that I created with the strumming.

I know I'm mostly a brutal man nowadays... But this violin, sometimes I just felt like this gave me a way to release my inner feelings of peace... Maybe that's what Lin was actually feeling... So I just kept strumming the strings of the violin, creating calm, lovely music that soothed through the caves.


	29. M-14: My Way - Pt 1

_Hailar, the Pearl of the Grasslands. A bitter struggle is raging there, and the stubborn Japanese forces have been tying down the Soviets there. So as a response, the Red Banner Army sent my contingent of soldiers to help relieve them... It is an honor to help liberate this great city, and should the Japanese continue to be stubborn... If they stand for Japan, then they will die for Japan, one at a time.  
_

 **'My Way'**

 **Manchuria, China**

 **August 17, 1945**

 **Cpt. Viktor Reznov**

 **2nd Red Banner Army**

We had come near Hailar, where Soviet forces had worked hard to break Japanese forces in the city... They still had much work to do, but fortunately, my troops were sent to reinforce them, and my soldiers were very eager to crush these enemies. Even better, I had Chen and his Chinese forces with me to help, and they were just as motivated, if not more so.

I stood a midst the defenses we had all set up in this field. We had two defensive trench lines, the first one, was filled with Chen's Chinese infantry and riflemen, all lining the trench and aiming their rifles and machine guns at the field. Just behind Chen's trench line, lay another trench that contained my Russian troops. This trench laying behind the first defensive line was somewhat elevated as it rested on the slope of a hill. We were to give covering fire to Chen's forces as we all defended these lines.

With the first trench line being filled and lined with Chinese riflemen readying and aiming their guns, my trench prepared our supplies as more Russians came in to line this second trench and aim their rifles. With my PPSH slinging across my back, I wielded my DP-28 gun and waited for enemies. With these two defensive trench lines filled and lined with Russian and Chinese infantry all aiming their guns at the field before us, there were also several Russian machine gun nests to the sides, waiting to give support.

I saw Chen standing in the first trench while Lin sat in one of the Russian machine gun nests. Vylkalev stood next to me in the second trench, preparing his PPSH as both of us were waiting to fend off any Japanese attacks. Mischa sat in the trench next to us as well.

"Now is your chance to show me your true leadership," Vylkalev spoke, "Impress me."

"Is someone envious of me?" I asked.

"Being a fighter is one thing," Vylkalev said, "Let's finally see how you lead these men on a grander scale."

"Well, I hope not to disappoint you, Mikhail." I stated.

"I hope you don't either." Vylkalev responded.

However, a Russian came near and warned, "Japanese assault, incoming!"

With that, we all got into our positions, with Russians lining the second trench as the Chinese lined the first trench, all of us aiming our guns. Some enemy tank shells rained into the ground, trying to soften us up... Well, they'd have a much harder time doing so, for we weren't going anywhere... Soon after, Japanese soldiers started coming and we prepared to fend them off.

Japanese infantry were coming in from across the field in great numbers, wishing to halt our advance. It was a rather frightening looking force, with massive numbers of soldiers and even some enemy tanks in the distance... But we were very brave and unafraid of any of these enemies and remained fearlessly determined to fight... And once they got close enough, we all fired hails of gunfire at them, commencing a vicious battle.

"Enemy infantry," a Russian said, "Fire and eliminate them!"

"Shit, I'll kill these Jap bastards!" another Russian shouted, firing his gun.

Our defensive lines of Russian and Chinese infantry fired immense gunfire at the incoming waves of Japanese troops, firing shots that cut numerous Japanese soldiers to pieces. The first line filled with Chinese riflemen fired intense gunfire shot multiple Japanese in a vicious battle while my trench of Russians fired immense cover shots that riddled more enemies. As the lines of Russians and Chinese soldiers were firing intense hails of gunfire that cut numerous Japanese down, I fired and shot six Japanese with DP fire in fierce fighting, though enemy soldiers kept coming in. Vylkalev and I fired tense cover that raked and pinned enemy soldiers, then the line of Chinese infantry fired immense rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese, some bullets ripping off limbs from enemy soldiers and shooting flesh pieces off. As Vylkalev shot several enemies, I fired DP gunfire that shot nine Japanese in the vicious fighting. A midst the fierce fighting, Russian soldiers fired gunshots that riddled multiple enemies, while Chinese infantry fired intense rifle fire that shot and ripped numerous Japanese. The Russians and Chinese kept firing shots that furiously raked and pinned incoming Japanese troops, while I fired intense DP gunfire that nailed seven enemies, then Vylkalev gunned several more enemies down in the fierce battle.

We all kept fighting furiously, with me firing intense gunfire that cut multiple enemies down as Vylkalev emitted PPSH shots that raked several different soldiers. The Russians fired intense gunfire that furiously riddled numerous Japanese in the field, while the line of Chinese riflemen fired fiery rifle fire that shot multiple more Japanese, then fired intense gunshots that raked and pinned more enemy soldiers and positions. However, enemy soldiers held cover in the field and blazed shots back that struck some Chinese and Russian soldiers. In response I fired and shot six more enemies as the line of Chinese before me fired immense gunfire that shot numerous Japanese, then Vylkalev aimed and gunned a few other soldiers down. Still, as we kept firing gunshots to fend them off, enemy soldiers kept charging and firing rifle shots at our positions. In response, the Russian soldiers fired intense gunfire that riddled numerous Japanese while Vylkalev shot several soldiers, then I shot five more enemies. As I kept firing shots that furiously riddled enemy positions and soldiers, the Russians fired gunshots that nailed multiple Japanese, then the line of Chinese fired intense hails of gunfire that cut numerous Japanese to shreds. Vylkalev fired and shot several enemies as I fired DP fire that nailed six more Japanese, then the lines of Russian and Chinese riflemen fired immense gunfire that shot numerous more Japanese in the hard, vicious fighting.

The Russians and Chinese kept firing immense hails of gunfire that fended off enemy assaults and riddled Japanese positions and soldiers, but still, the enemy waves kept coming with support from machine guns in several trucks. As we kept fighting hard, enemy soldiers fired shots from cover pieces in the field and shot at friendly positions, so Russian soldiers fired and shot some enemies as I fired my DP gun and shot six more Japanese, then the friendly machine gun nests fired shots that raked the enemy troops in support. Enemy soldiers fired shots and gunned multiple friendly soldiers down, so I shot a machine gunner as Vylkalev fired and nailed several enemies. The line of Chinese fired intense rifle fire which shot multiple Japanese, then I fired DP fire that nailed nine different enemies, then the line of Chinese kept firing fiery hails of intense gunfire that shot numerous more enemies. After much hard fighting, the Russians furiously fired shots that raked and pinned enemy troops as Vylkalev and I fired cover shots that riddled some positions. As much hard fighting raged, the Russians fired shots that furiously nailed some more enemy soldiers as I fired and shot six other Japanese, then the line of Chinese fired gunfire that cut multiple enemies to pieces as I gunned down another machine gunner.

"Chyort, I'll send you bastards to Hell!" a Russian shouted, firing his gun.

"Die, you dirty savage bastard!" a Chinese soldier said.

"Burn these filthy Jap svoloches!" another Russian shouted, furiously.

We all kept firing intense shots at incoming Japanese waves until we finally fended them off and sent them into retreat. With that, everyone reloaded and readied their weapons once again, just as Vylkalev and I jumped out of our trench and then went up to join Chen in his trench of Chinese soldiers at the front. We jumped into Chen's trench and aimed our guns at the field as Chinese at our side did the same.

As the line of Chinese soldiers at our side in the trench all aimed their guns, with the line of Russians just behind us aiming to give extensive cover, Vylkalev, Chen, Lin and I all aimed at the field and waited for any new attacks... Soon enough, more Japanese infantry came at our trenches, with several Chi Ha tanks in support, and we began fighting again.

"Japanese infantry and tanks," Chen noted, "Crush them!"

"Raze these wretched svoloches to Hell!" I shouted.

Vylkalev and I fired gunshots at enemy waves from the first trench line, while Chinese soldiers at our sides were firing immense gunfire that riddled multiple Japanese. Fierce fighting raged as the Russians behind us fired shots that raked and pinned some enemies, then the line of Chinese kept firing hails of intense gunfire that shot numerous more Japanese to shreds, some bullets ripping limbs off in a gory mess. From the first trench, I gunned two soldiers down as Vylkalev shot a few other enemies, then I fired shots that nailed five more Japanese soldiers. Still, the enemy troops kept coming in, firing shots that gunned numerous Chinese down, so I gunned two more soldiers down as the Russians fired cover shots that furiously riddled enemy positions in the field, then I fired intense DP fire that nailed six more Japanese. Vylkalev fired and gunned several enemies down as I shot two more soldiers, then the Chinese fired intense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese down as I shot at and nailed two more soldiers. Enemy soldiers kept coming in and firing shots, so the Russians behind us fired gunfire that riddled numerous Japanese. In the vicious fighting, I shot five more soldiers as Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down, then I shot two more enemies, then Chen and Lin fired shots that raked some enemies.

More Japanese kept coming in, pressing through the friendly gunshots raining over them as enemy Chi Ha tanks blazed supportive fire. We all kept fighting hard to repel the incoming enemy waves, with Vylkalev and I firing shots from the Chinese trench as Russian soldiers behind us fired intense shots that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers, then the line of Chinese in or trench fired immense gunfire that cut numerous Japanese down. As I gunned two more soldiers down, however, enemy soldiers fired and shot some Russians in the second trench, so Vylkalev and I fired intense shots that riddled multiple enemies, then the Russians fired shots that furiously razed multiple Japanese enemies. With the Chinese firing intense rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese, I fired and shot six enemies as Vylkalev gunned several others down, then I kept firing shots that nailed five more Japanese. The Russians fired and shot some more enemies, but enemy soldiers kept coming and firing shots that gunned numerous Chinese down. In response, I shot two more soldiers as Vylkalev gunned a few others down, then I fired and nailed five more enemies. With the Russians firing cover shots, I gunned two enemies down as the Chinese fired immense gunfire that cut multiple enemies to shreds, then I shot two more Japanese soldiers while the Russians and Chinese kept firing shots that raked and pinned more incoming enemies.

As we all kept fighting hard and firing more fiery gunfire, we saw the enemy assault dwindling severely... But they still kept on coming, with enemy tanks blazing shells. In response, I fired and nailed five soldiers and then I threw a flare at one of the enemy tanks, causing it to be pounded to rubble by mortar shells. A midst the fierce fighting, Vylkalev and I fired intense gunfire that shot numerous Japanese, while Chen and Lin fired shots that riddled some other enemy soldiers as well. Russian soldiers fired and shot multiple enemies as I gunned two more soldiers down, then the Chinese fired intense gunfire that riddled numerous more Japanese as I shot five more enemies with DP fire. After intense fighting, Vylkalev shot several more enemies as I fired and nailed five more soldiers, but a tank blazed shells at our defenses. In response, I threw a flare near the tank, letting the mortars blaze rounds that blasted the tank to shreds. As we kept firing gunfire, we cut more and more enemies down, greatly diminishing their offensive. I gunned two more soldiers down as the Russians and Chinese fired shots that cut numerous Japanese to shreds, then I shot two more enemies. With some enemies remaining, Vylkalev gunned a few enemies down as I shot five more Japanese with DP fire, then Chen and Lin shot some enemies.

"Die, you filthy Jap animals!" a Chinese soldier said, firing his rifle.

"Chyort, I'll crush and break you bastards!" a Russian soldier spoke furiously.

"You fiendish Japs will be sent back to Hell!" another Chinese soldier shouted.

We all kept firing gunfire that greatly diminished the Japanese assaults, and our luck only got better as Soviet planes came in and strafed the few enemy tanks remaining, which was a relief as we were running out of mortar rounds. With the enemy strength greatly dwindling, we kept fighting and firing until we finally broke their momentum, with us shooting any remaining enemies and eliminating them, with Vylkalev, Chen and I gunning down some of the retreating Japanese soldiers... We won here, and now we could move forward.

"That is it, Comrades," I shouted, "Drive and execute the might of the Red Army!"

"Move it, men!" Chen ordered.

With passionate fervor, we lead all the men in driving forwards from our trench lines, Mischa running at our side. Our combined great force of Russian and Chinese soldiers charged across the fields, moving to eliminate the last of the Japanese defenses in our way to Hailar.

"Search for any defensive lines and positions," Vylkalev spoke, "Raze every one of them!"

Vylkalev, Chen, Lin and I lead the Russian and Chinese forces across the fields of long grass until we came to the first enemy defensive line, a trench filled with Japanese infantry, riflemen and some machine gunners. As soon as we saw them, we attacked, with all of us firing our guns at the enemy line as some of us charged forward.

"Crush these bastards!" I shouted furiously, firing my gun at the enemy trench.

In a fierce battle, the Japanese fired shots back that cut down multiple friendly soldiers, so I fired and nailed two enemies and then shot a machine gunner as I got to cover with Vylkalev. With the enemy line raining gunshots over us, Vylkalev and I fired cover that raked the trench, letting Russian and Chinese soldiers fire intense rifle fire from their positions in the fields, shooting numerous Japanese in the trench before us a midst vicious fighting. With Chen and Lin firing cover, I fired and shot five Japanese soldiers in the trench as the Russians and Chinese then fired intense shots that raked and pinned the enemy defensive line, then I gunned two more soldiers down. In the furious fighting, enemy soldiers rained tense hails of gunshots over us, shooting multiple friendlies to shreds, slicing off some limbs. However, we kept braving the enemy fire and fighting on, with me firing gunfire that shot six more Japanese, then Chen shot a few other soldiers. Friendly combatants fired rifle fire from our field positions and shot multiple enemies in the trench, then I gunned two soldiers down as Vylkalev fired and nailed several other enemies. In the fierce battle, enemy shots rained and gunned some more friendly troops down, but then I fired and nailed five more Japanese in the trench as Lin then gunned a couple soldiers down.

We all kept charging and fighting in this vicious battle, with Russians and Chinese firing hails of intense gunfire that riddled numerous Japanese in the trench while I fired shots that nailed six other Japanese a midst the fierce fighting. Chen and Lin fired and shot several enemies as I then gunned two Japanese down, then Vylkalev fired and nailed a few other soldiers The Japanese still fired intense shots that cut numerous friendlies down, but I then fired shots that raked the enemy trench as Vylkalev gunned a couple other soldiers down. With fiery enemy gunshots raining over us Chen shot a few more enemies as I gunned two enemies down as well, then Lin fired and nailed a few other Japanese. Several more friendlies were gunned down in the fierce battle, but as Vylkalev and I shot several more enemies, the Russians and Chinese fired intense gunfire and shot multiple Japanese in the trench. Lin gunned a few more soldiers down as Chen fired intense cover shots, though enemy gunfire blazed and shot multiple friendlies. In response, Vylkalev gunned a few soldiers down as I fired and shot five more enemies. The Russians and Chinese then fired shots that riddled the enemy trench line furiously, shooting multiple enemies as I gunned two soldiers down, letting us get even closer to the line to break it.

"Rip all of these filthy svoloches to shreds!" I shouted.

The Russians and Chinese kept fighting hard to eliminate this trench line, with me firing shots that riddled the enemy defenses. Enemy gunshots still rained all over, but friendly soldiers kept moving in and firing shots back that raked and pinned Japanese troops in the line. I fired and shot five Japanese in the trench as Vylkalev gunned a enemy soldiers down as well, then the Russians and Chinese fired immense hails of rifle fire that nailed multiple enemies, further diminishing the enemy line. As remaining enemies kept blazing shots that riddled several friendlies, I fired PPSH fire that nailed five more enemies while Vylkalev shot a couple other soldiers. Going right up to the trench, I gunned down two enemies as friendly soldiers fired and shot the several remaining enemies left, then Mischa pounced and mauled an enemy... This first trench was clear, letting us move up the field.

"Keep moving," Vylkalev ordered, "Get to Hailar!"

"Any enemies we find, we kill," Chen said, "I want every Japanese soldier wiped out!"

Vylkalev, Chen, Lin and I rushed further down the grasslands with the rest of the Russian and Chinese soldiers following after. We ultimately entered some more terrain filled with trees and plants, where we found some Japanese positions out here... Once again, we lead an assault.

"Strike these bastards!" I ordered furiously as I fired my PPSH gun at the enemies.

A fierce firefight ensued as we engaged these new series of Japanese defenses, and as friendly soldiers fired shots that riddled Japanese positions, the enemy nests blazed shots back to fend us off... But I just fired shots back at the enemies as we kept moving in.

"Shit... Die, you svoloche!" a Russian soldier shouted.

"Burn in Hell, you Jap bastards!" a Chinese soldier said to the Japanese enemies.

We rushed right at the Japanese defenses here in the jungles, firing shots at enemy positions. Enemy nests fired gunfire at our troops, shooting some friendlies as a fierce skirmish raged, but Vylkalev and I fired PPSH shots that nailed multiple Japanese, then Chen and Lin fired gunshots that riddled several more enemies as well. Taking positions by trees and plants in these jungles, Russian and Chinese soldiers fired intense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese soldiers and riddled several positions. From my tree cover, I then fired and shot four enemies as Vylkalev gunned a few others down, though enemy soldiers blazed rounds that struck several friendlies. Chen then fired and shot several Japanese as I gunned two other soldiers down, then Lin shot a few more enemies. With Vylkalev and Chen firing cover shots, at Japanese positions, Russian and Chinese soldiers fired intense rifle fire from their tree positions and shot numerous enemies, then I shot four more soldiers as Lin gunned a couple soldiers down.

I kept fighting hard, firing PPSH fire at Japanese soldiers in these jungles as the Russian and Chinese soldiers fired hails of fiery gunfire from these trees and shot up numerous more Japanese soldiers and riddled their positions. A midst the fierce skirmish I gunned two enemies down as Vylkalev shot a few other Japanese, then I shot another two soldiers. Chen fired and shot a few other Japanese as Lin gunned a couple more enemies down, then I fired and shot four more Japanese in the different trees. We moved further through the trees, fighting against any Japanese defenses in our way, with me shooting down a machine gunner blazing towards us, though several friendlies were gunned down by enemy gunshots. Chen shot several more enemies as Lin fired and gunned a few soldiers down, then the Russians and Chinese fired shots that riddled multiple Japanese to shreds. I fired and shot four more Japanese in the trees as Vylkalev gunned a few more soldiers down, but enemy solders fired shots that gunned multiple friendlies down. In response, Chen and Vylkalev shot several other Japanese, then I aimed and shot a machine gunner as Mischa charged, tackled and ripped at a Japanese soldier with her teeth, then under my direction, the dog bravely rushed at a nest and mauled an enemy machine gunner firing at my men.

A midst the vicious fighting, I shot two more enemies as Lin gunned a few other Japanese down, then I fired and nailed two other soldiers. We nearly eliminated most of the Japanese defenses here in this jungle, but some remained to continue resisting our advance. Vylkalev shot a few enemies as I fired and nailed four more soldiers, then Chen shot several other Japanese as Lin gunned down a couple more enemies, then I shot two other Japanese soldiers. Enemy gunshots still rained over us, but Vylkalev and I fired and shot up several more positions, destroying them as Russian and Chinese soldiers fired immense rifle fire that riddled numerous soldiers and shot up several other positions, just nearly destroying the last of enemy defenses in this jungle. Vylkalev shot several more soldiers as I fired and nailed four other enemies before shooting a machine gunner.

"Raze and slice these fiendish Japs!" a Chinese soldier shouted.

"Shit, I'll kill these filthy svoloches!" a Russian shouted as he fired his gun.

"Fire on them," another Chinese said, "Destroy their positions!"

After much more hard fighting, we finally shot up the last enemy defenses here, with Vylkalev and I shooting up multiple enemy soldiers in the trees of this jungle. We were then moving forward through these trees to emerge on the grasslands... But we soon found more Japanese defensive positions spread out over this field, with a few machine gun nests among them.

"Burn these wretched svoloches," I shouted, "Eliminate every one of their nests!"

I lead friendly soldiers to engage the Japanese nests in these grasslands, commencing a fierce skirmish, with me shooting four more soldiers but a machine gunner blazed to strike several friendlies down. In response, I aimed and shot the machine gunner, then Vylkalev fired and nailed a few other soldiers in the grasslands. The Russian and Chinese soldiers fired intense shots that riddled multiple Japanese soldiers, then Chen and Lin fired shots that raked several enemy nests. In the fiery, tense fighting, I gunned two soldiers down as Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers, then I fired and nailed four more enemies. Several more friendlies were gunned down, but as I gunned two more enemies down, Chen shot a couple other soldiers, then I fired shots that riddled a couple positions to pieces. Russian and Chinese soldiers fired gunfire that furiously raked and pinned Japanese soldiers, then as I fired and shot up a few more positions, Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down while Mischa emerged from cover to tackle and maul an enemy.

More than half the enemy defensive positions in this field had been destroyed now, but they held on. Still, Russian and Chinese soldiers fired intense rifle fire that furiously cut numerous Japanese to pieces and shot up several different positions in the vicious battle. After dodging some machine gun rounds, I aimed and shot up the machine gunner, then Vylkalev and I fired shots that raked multiple soldiers as Chen and Lin fired and nailed several other Japanese. Only a few more positions remained as I shot four more enemies, but as Chen and Lin fired cover shots, Vylkalev gunned several Japanese down a midst the furious fighting. With that, I shot two more soldiers and then riddled a couple remaining nests with PPSH fire, though I still heard Mischa growling at the enemy nests... Soon enough, the Japanese defenses here were wiped out, letting us move on towards Hailar.

"These svoloches have been destroyed," Vylkalev said, "Move up!"

We continued to lead all our soldiers across the fields, moving past the different pathways leading to the city of Hailar. While we did so, we remained on the lookout for any Japanese ambushes that might be in our way... And so far, there was nothing.

But as we came further down the field, we found another Japanese defensive trench line, it too filled with soldiers and machine gunners. But experienced and unafraid, we charged forth to strike it all down, with Mischa charging at our side.

"Another trench line," Chen said, "Fight and destroy it!"

Vylkalev and I lead the Russians and Chinese in charging the trench, intent on eradicating it as Chen an Lin gave their support. The enemy trench line fired hails of rifle and machine gun fire to try and keep us from advancing, but we all braved past it and pushed on, even as the enemy gunfire sliced numerous friendlies down. I shot five enemies in this opposing trench as Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down, then Chen shot several more enemies as Lin fired and nailed a few other Japanese, all while the Russians and Chinese fired intense cover shots to rake the enemy troops in the trench. Several more friendlies were gunned down by enemy fire, but I shot two more soldiers as Vylkalev fired and nailed several more Japanese, then I shot five enemies with PPSH fire. As they kept braving past enemy gunshots blazing from the opposing trench, the Russians and Chinese fired intense rifle fire that riddled multiple Japanese in the trench, then I fired and shot five more enemies. In the fierce battle, friendly soldiers kept firing shots that raked and pinned enemies in the trench as I then gunned two more soldiers down, then we moved closer to eliminate the line.

I got closer to the trench line, firing PPSH shots that furiously raked the Japanese defenses, pinning their soldiers, all while my comrades fired shots that nailed several enemies, helping us move even more close. I shot six more Japanese in the trench as Chen shot a few more soldiers, then I aimed and gunned two other soldiers down. An enemy machine gun fired shots to hold us back, but with Vykalev shooting several Japanese, I shot two more soldiers in the trench as Lin gunned a couple other enemies down, then I aimed and shot the machine gunner blazing towards us. The Russian and Chinese soldiers fired and shot several enemies in the trench, then Vylkalev gunned a couple other soldiers down as I then shot five more Japanese in the fierce battle. Chen and Lin fired cover shots that raked the enemy trench, then as I got close, aimed and shot two more soldiers, friendly troops blazed rounds that struck the remaining enemies in this trench, with Mischa rushing in and mauling an enemy, finally clearing away this line.

"Hailar should be just around the corner," Chen spoke, "Let's hurry over there."

"There's Soviets still tied in the city, yes?" I asked.

"Yes," Chen said, "Now we get to relieve them... Prepare yourselves men."

Getting past the trench, we moved across the fields, running through the grasslands until we came upon a couple pathways lined with trees, which should lead to Hailar. We all moved through these paths, doing so quickly, but also cautiously... For sure enough, some enemies appeared in the trees lining these roads, staging an ambush.

"Chyort, Jap soldiers in the trees!" a Russian warned.

With Japanese soldiers appearing in the trees to the sides of us, firing shots from their positions and gunning several friendlies down, Russian and Chinese soldiers positioned themselves on the path and fired shots back. With enemy gunshots flying all over us, I shot two soldiers down in the trees as Vylkalev gunned a few enemies down, then I fired and nailed two more Japanese in the trees as the friendly soldiers fired shots from their positions on the pathway and shot multiple Japanese in the trees to the sides. I fired and shot four Japanese in the trees as Chen fired and nailed a few soldiers, then I shot two more enemies while Lin gunned down a couple other soldiers. Though the Japanese kept blazing shots at our troops from the trees to the sides, Vylkalev then shot several different enemies as the Russian and Chinese soldiers on the path fired rifle shots back that nailed several more Japanese in the trees, then I gunned two more soldiers down, leading to the elimination of enemies on this path.

A few stragglers remained, with one coming at me in a Banzai charge, but I grabbed the Japanese soldier by his lapels, threw and pinned him down and punched him twice to knock him out. A few Japanese soldiers came at Lin, but she hit those enemies with her fists and rifle stock, knocking them down with some hard strikes...

With the enemies on the path gone, we moved up, getting even closer to Hailar.


	30. M-14: My Way - Pt 2

"There's Hailar!" Chen said, "Hurry!"

I saw the city of Hailar before me, and I could still hear the sounds of gunshots emerging from the city, likely other Russians tied down a midst the chaos raging there. As we neared the perimeter, we ordered the men to hold cover here by some mounds here, while Vylkalev, Chen and I went over to a closer mound towards the edge of the city.

...And that's where we gazed on a sorrowful sight. A line of numerous Japanese soldiers were standing before massive numbers of Chinese civilians, all terrified of what might happen to them. The Japanese soldiers bullied them, with several hitting some of the innocent civilians with rifle stocks.

"Anata kegareta Chūgoku no obutsu wa subete nenshō shimasu! (You dirty Chinese filth will all burn)!" a Japanese soldier said to the terrified crowd.

"Watashi wa anata ga iyana gaichū subete kurushimu koto o kakuninshitekudasai yo (I'll make sure you disgusting vermin all suffer)!" another Japanese spoke.

"Anata no Chūgoku no gomi jigoku no naka de tokubetsuna ichi ga arimasu! (There's a special place in Hell for you Chinese rubbish)!" a third Japanese soldier stated.

And while the numerous Japanese soldiers were intimidating the great numbers of Chinese civilians, subjecting them to harsh treatments, I saw the Japanese soldier commanding them, a Lieutenant of medium height with a field cap and glasses. The enemy officer had an angry disposition, but Chen seemed to recognize the man, getting a bit mad even.

"That Japanese soldier there, is Lieutenant Misuki," Chen spoke, "A very cruel and cowardly murderer, who has created much misery to my countrymen... He is the right hand of Colonel Hiroshi Shirasaki, and Junichiro tells me that he would be of special interest to you."

"Then let's get Misuki first." I said.

However, as we spoke and gazed, Misuki started speaking to the terrified Chinese crowd, "Watashitachiha, Nihon no tame ni idaina teikoku o kōchiku shite iru, mada anata fuketsu Chankoros ga nokotte iru... Kore wa kyoyō dekimasen. Kore ga ima no Nihon no kuni de, anata ga watashitachi no teikoku rikugun no kyōgi ni. According... Anata no sonzai to watashitachi no eikō ni kizu o otoru Chūgoku no gaichū o nokoshite, anata no rettō ni taisuru batsu wa sugu ni okonawa remasu (We are building a great empire for Japan, yet you filthy Chankoros remain... This can not be tolerated. This is now Japanese land, and you inferior Chinese vermin leave a blemish on our glory with your presence... According to the doctrine of our Imperial Army, the punishment against your inferiority will be carried out immediately)."

Before we could even think of what to do, the line of Japanese soldiers all aimed their guns at the horrified civilians... Then with Misuki's order, a terrible sight fell before us as all of the numerous Japanese soldiers fired intense hails of fiery gunfire that brutally shot numerous Chinese civilians, shooting as many innocents as they could. The Japanese kept firing furious rifle fire that cut more and more Chinese civilians to pieces in a very brutal, gory massacre. With Japanese soldiers cruelly and mercilessly shooting the innocent Chinese, some civilians tried to get away, but they were firmly gunned down as well. With all that, the Japanese kept shooting many remaining civilians, continuing to shoot the bloodied corpses and many even furiously stabbing them with bayonets, cutting them to shreds.

Misuki then started walking into Hailar while the enemies brought in and lined up some other Chinese civilians for execution, then after they readied their guns and aimed again, the the Japanese fired more immense gunfire that viciously cut these Chinese civilians to shreds, some bullets ripping off limbs and pieces of bloody, gory flesh... The Japanese kept shooting the civilians until they were all dead.

"Kill those savage, murdering animals!" I shouted furiously.

I signaled the others to give me support as I got up, aimed and furiously fired intense PPSH fire at the Japanese soldiers who committed those fiendish murders on the innocent. The friendly soldiers behind us fired cover shots at the startled enemies at the perimeter of Hailar, and as Vylkalev, Chen and I kept firing, we mercilessly shot down the last of the enemy executioners.

"Move in," I ordered, "Strike the city!"

Some enemies tried to retreat down the road, but Vylkalev and I aimed and firmly gunned them down, then, with Mischa, Chen, Lin and all the Russian and Chinese soldiers following after, we aimed at the outskirts, looking to clear them out. Once we came near the outskirts, Japanese soldiers appeared in the perimeter houses and fired shots to keep us back. So we got to cover pieces and fired shots back at them.

"Ambush!" Vylkalev stated, "Raze them!"

A fierce battle commenced as we fired gunfire at the Japanese defenses, but enemy soldiers fired intense shots back that riddled multiple friendlies. In response, however, as I fired shots that nailed five Japanese in the houses, the Russians and Chinese fired intense rifle fire from their positions, shooting multiple enemies and raking their house positions with intense fire. Vylkalev and I fired PPSH fire that raked the enemy positions, then Chen fired and nailed several enemies as Lin shot a few other Japanese a midst the fierce fighting. However, enemy soldiers kept firing shots from their positions and shooting numerous friendlies to bits, so I fired and shot five more Japanese in the houses as Vylkalev gunned a few other enemies down, then I kept firing shots that raked their house positions. With enemy gunshots raining over them, the Russians and Chinese fired intense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese in the vicious fighting, then as Chen and Lin fired cover shots, as they braved more incoming enemy gunshots, the friendly soldiers fired more rifle shots that raked and pinned enemy soldiers and house positions. With enemy gunshots firing and raking friendly positions, I fired intense PPSH fire that riddled six enemies in the houses as Vylkelev shot a few other soldiers, then from their field positions, the Russians and Chinese fired intense rifle fire that shot numerous Japanese and riddled their house positions in the fierce battle.

We all kept fighting fiercely and hard to eliminate the Japanese outskirt defenses with friendly soldiers braving enemy gunshots and firing intense rifle fire from their field positions and shooting up different Japanese house positions in the outskirts, destroying some of them. As Vylkalev fired cover shots, I fired intense PPSH fire that shot multiple Japanese in the houses and raked their positions, then Chen and Lin fired their guns and shot several Japanese as well. As we kept fighting, the enemy defenses started to be wiped out, but those that remained continued to resist, so I fired PPSH shots that nailed five more enemies in the houses as Vylkalev shot a few other Japanese, but enemy gunshots still raked friendly positions. In response, Vylkalev and I fired shots that raked enemy house positions as Chen shot a few Japanese soldiers, then Lin gunned a couple enemies down. The friendly soldiers then fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese in the houses. Only several enemies remained, so as Vylkalev aimed and shot a couple more soldiers, I fired PPSH fire that riddled six more Japanese in the houese, then the Russians and Chinese fired fiery gunfire that shot up numerous remaining Japanese... After much hard, vicious fighting, we finally cleared the enemies from the outskirts.

"The wretched svoloches are eliminated," I said, "Move into the city!"

I lead the Russian and Chinese soldiers down the streets of the city, intent on clearing it of Japanese forces, as well as relieve any Soviets we could find that were tied down... Immediately, as we moved through the streets running through Hailar, Japanese soldiers appeared in the streets and buildings at the sides to confront us... And just as Immediately, we started clearing them out.

"Shit, Japanese infantry," a Russian stated, "I'll rip these bastards to pieces!"

"Raze and slice these rats to shreds!" I shouted.

"I'll burn these bastards!" a Russian said.

Taking positions in the streets, we Russians and Chinese fired intense rifle fire that riddled numerous Japanese soldiers in the streets and buildings, while still firing shots that raked the enemy positions. Enemy gunshots rained at us from the buildings, but I fired my PPSH and shot six Japanese in the streets, then the Russians and Chinese kept firing hails of fiery gunfire that cut multiple more Japanese to pieces in the streets and buildings. In the hard, vicious fighting, I fired and shot five more Japanese in the streets with PPSH fire, then Vylkalev shot several other enemies as well. Enemy gunshots blazed and nailed several friendlies, but as I fired intense cover shots that raked the enemy positions, Chen fired and nailed several other Japanese as Lin shot a few more enemies, then Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down. With the Russians and Chinese firing intense shots that raked and pinned enemy soldiers and positions, I fired PPSH fire that riddled six more Japanese in the buildings to the sides, then we moved up the street, encountering more enemies in the streets and houses. As Japanese gunshots blazed and rained over us, the Russians and Chinese fired intense gunfire that nailed multiple Japanese in the fierce fighting, then I shot five Japanese in the streets with PPSH fire. Enemy gunshots fired and cut multiple friendlies down, but as Chen and Lin fired and shot several Japanese, I fired PPSH fire that nailed five enemies in the buildings.

We kept fighting in the streets, fending off fierce Japanese ambushes with intense rifle shots, then we moved up further. As enemy shots blazed from the buildings, Vylkalev and I fired cover shots that raked the enemy positions, then the Russian and Chinese soldiers fired immense gunfire from their street positions and shot multiple Japanese in the vicious battle, then Chen and Lin fired their guns and shot several enemies as well. I gunned two enemies down in a building, then Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers as I fired PPSH shots that nailed five more Japanese soldiers in the streets. Still, the enemies kept blazing shots that rained over us, shooting multiple friendlies, so I shot two enemies in a building, then the Russians and Chinese fired fiery gunfire that cut multiple Japanese to bloody shreds, some bullets ripping limbs off, then I gunned two more enemies down in a building. Vylkalev gunned a few more soldiers down as I fired and shot five more Japanese in the streets, then Vylkalev shot several enemies. We moved further up the street, with me shooting two more soldiers in a building as Chen and Lin fired shots that nailed several more enemies, then Mischa charged from her cover and mauled two Japanese in the street. I fired PPSH fire and shot five Japanese in the streets, though enemy soldiers fired and gunned several friendlies down. In response, as Vylkalev fired cover shots, I fired fiery PPSH shots that nailed five more enemies in the streets, then the Russian and Chinese soldiers fired immense gunfire that riddled numerous Japanese in the streets as I shot two enemies in the buildings.

In the vicious fighting, I fired intense PPSH fire that shot multiple enemies in the buildings as the Russians and Chinese fired furious rifle shots that raked and pinned Japanese soldiers and positions, then we moved further up the street. We encountered some Japanese troops positioned at the other end of the street, so as we positioned ourselves at our end of the street, we braved enemy shots and fired rifle shots back at them. In an incredibly fierce battle in the streets, I shot two enemies, then as enemy gunshots flew and whizzed by, the Russian and Chinese soldiers fired intense rifle fire from their street positions and shot numerous Japanese at the other end as Vylkalev and I fired shots that raked the enemies. In the intensely vicious battle, as enemy gunfire rained over us, I fired PPSH fire and shot six Japanese in the streets, then the friendlies fired their rifles and shot any remaining Japanese in this street, allowing us to move up even further. We encountered more enemies in the buildings as we moved up, so as Vylkalev and I fired cover shots, Chen fired and shot several enemies as Lin gunned a few other Japanese down. Several friendlies were gunned down, but I aimed and shot two soldiers in a building as Vylkalev gunned a few enemies down, then I fired and nailed two more Japanese in another building. The Russians and Chinese fired intense gunfire that riddled numerous Japanese, then I fired PPSH fire that shot six enemies in the buildings.

"Chyort, kill these Jap bastards!" a Russian said, firing his gun.

"Rip these svoloches to shreds!" I shouted.

We all shot any remaining enemies in these houses and streets, with Mischa rushing and then tackling and mauling a Japanese soldier. At the same time, Lin charged and knocked down a couple Japanese soldiers with her fists and rifle stock. After much vicious, hard fighting, we all moved up further down the street, seeking to destroy any remaining troops.

I rushed and slashed two Japanese soldiers down with my knife as we continued to move forward. I saw we were about halfway to another side of the city that we were at... But as we moved closer, I heard gunfire starting to roar nearby.

"That sounds like we have other Soviets over there." Vylkalev stated, "We should hurry over."

Drawn by the sound of gunshots we rushed over towards the source. Finding it to be on the other side, we entered a line of buildings, then we positions ourselves at the building windows looking over the street on the other side.

As I looked out the window, I saw fellow Soviet troops behind cover on the streets. At the opposite side of the street, Japanese soldiers were firing hails of gunfire from the line of buildings at the other side, pinning the fellow Russians on the street. In response, as friendly soldiers lined the windows in these buildings on our side, we all aimed our guns at the enemy buildings.

"Fire," I ordered, "Kill every one of them!"

"Send all these Jap bastards to Hell!" a Russian said.

I fired intense shots that furiously raked the Japanese positions, then the Russian and Chinese soldiers here fired immense gunfire from our building positions and nailed multiple enemies in the fierce fighting. As I shot two enemy soldiers in a building window, friendly soldiers kept firing immense rifle fire from this line of buildings that furiously riddled the Japanese building positions at the other side of the street to pieces, then I fired PPSH fire that nailed six more Japanese. However, a midst this fighting with friendly and enemy soldiers firing immense gunfire at one another's building positions at the other side of the street, enemy soldiers fired shots that gunned several friendlies down, so I fired PPSH shots that nailed five more enemies, then Vylkalev gunned a couple soldiers down as well. As we kept battling the enemy side across from us, the fellow Russians on the street fired wild shots at Japanese building positions, furiously riddling them with gunshots. Friendly soldiers lining our side's buildings kept firing immense gunfire that shot numerous Japanese and riddled several enemy positions to pieces, but enemy enemies kept raining gunfire back, shooting multiple friendlies and raking several of their positions. In response, I shot two Japanese in a building window, then Vylkalev fired and nailed several other soldiers as I gunned two more enemies down in another building window. As they kept braving enemy gunshots raining at them from the enemy posts, Russian and Chinese soldiers here kept firing intense gunfire that riddled and shot up different Japanese positions, further diminishing them. I then fired and shot five more enemies as Vylkalev gunned a couple other soldiers down, then I shot two soldiers in a building window.

We all kept fighting fiercely, braving enemy shots and firing gunfire that shot up remaining Japanese positions in the building windows... Eventually, Vylkalev and I shot up several remaining positions, finally destroying the last of Japanese troops in the buildings across from us.

"All men, reform on the street." Vylkalev ordered.

Vylkalev and I exited out of the buildings and walked over to the Russian soldiers we had relieved, with Mischa prancing next to us with a proud expressing pant. Chen, Lin and the other Russians and Chinese came out of the buildings as a Russian sergeant came over to us.

"I owe you one, Captain," the sergeant said, "Who are you?"

"I'm Reznov." I responded.

"Wait... You're him," the sergeant spoke, a bit excited, "The Hero of Berlin, himself."

"Yes, him." Vylkalev answered.

"Where did the Chinese soldiers come from?" the sergeant asked.

"We found them," I responded, "You will help us with the rest of Hailar, yes?"

"Of course, sir," the sergeant said, "If you're wondering, we saw a Japanese officer, a Lieutenant, I think, move down that street. He couldn't have gone too far... I believe we can lead you to him."

"That should be Misuki," Vylkalev stated, then turned towards the others, "Everyone, move down the street!"

We all lead the now strengthened force of Russians and Chinese further down the streets getting closer to the outskirts on the other side. As we moved through, we encountered even more Japanese resistance trying to stop us... Well, they'll fail just like the others.

"Burn these savage animals!" a Russian said.

"Send these Japs all to Hell!" a Chinese soldier spoke.

Vylkalev and I fired PPSH shots at Japanese positions in the streets and buildings. I gunned two enemies down in a building as enemy gunshots were raining and flying all over, though the Russians and Chinese fired rifle shots from their street positions and shot multiple enemies in the streets, then I fired and shot five enemies in a couple buildings. Japanese soldiers blazed rounds that struck several friendlies, but Chen shot a few soldiers as Lin then gunned a couple enemies down. In the fierce fighting, the Russians and Chinese fired immense gunfire back that raked enemy positions and shot numerous Japanese, then I shot two enemy soldiers in a building as Vylkalev fired and nailed a few other soldiers. With Chen and Lin firing cover shots, I fired PPSH fire that nailed five Japanese in the streets as the friendly soldiers braved enemy fire and fired intense rifle shots that furiously raked the Japanese positions, then Vylkalev gunned a couple soldiers down as well. In the fierce fighting, I fired and shot five Japanese with PPSH shots in a couple different buildings, though enemy soldiers fired and shot numerous friendlies as I rushed up to and slashed down a Japanese soldier with a knife. As friendly soldiers fired shots that nailed several enemies, I aimed and gunned two soldiers down in a building.

We all kept fighting fiercely, moving past intense enemy gunshots raining over us and shooting any enemies in our way while firing shots that riddled their positions to shreds. I fired intense PPSH fire and shot six Japanese in the streets, then Vylkalev shot several more enemies with PPSH fire as Chen and Lin fired cover shots. Enemy soldiers fired desperate shots back that nailed several friendlies, so I gunned two enemies down in a building, then Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers as I shot another two enemies in a different building. As enemy gunshots rained all over them, Russian and Chinese soldiers fired intense gunfire from their street positions and shot numerous Japanese in the different buildings, riddling their positions with fiery rifle shots. I then shot five Japanese in a couple different buildings as Chen shot several more enemies, then I gunned two other soldiers down in a house at the right as Lin shot a few enemies, then I fired and nailed two soldiers in another building. In the fierce fighting, while several friendlies were gunned down by enemy shots, I fired and shot five Japanese in a couple different buildings as friendly soldiers fired rifle fire that nailed multiple enemies and raked their positions. As Vylkalev shot a few Japanese, I then gunned two more enemies down in a building at the right

In the fierce skirmish, we moved further up the street, fighting more Japanese resistance as we made our way toward the outskirts. Mischa emerged from her cover, charged and then mauled an enemy as I fired intense PPSH fire and shot six Japanese in the streets. In the hard fighting, with enemy soldiers firing shots that cut numerous friendlies down, Vylkalev and I fired cover shots as the Russian and Chinese soldiers fired immense rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese in the streets and buildings a midst a vicious battle. I fired more PPSH shots that nailed five more Japanese in the different buildings as Chen and Lin fired cover shots that raked several enemies, then I rushed up to and sliced a nearby Japanese soldier with my knife. Mischa rushed and mauled another Japanese soldier, tearing at the enemy with her sharp teeth as Vylkalev and I fired cover shots at enemy positions. We came very near the outskirts as we kept fighting past remaining enemy positions down these streets. While braving enemy shots, friendly soldiers fired gunfire that riddled numerous enemies in fierce fighting, then I shot five more soldiers in the different buildings with PPSH fire.

"Shit, rip these svoloches to shreds!" a Russian spoke furiously.

"Slice and burn those fiends!" a Chinese soldier stated.

"Fire and destroy their positions!" another Russian soldier said.

We all kept fighting and firing rifle shots at enemy positions until we made our way to the end of this street. We seemed to have eliminated the last Japanese defenses in our way, and we could now make our way to the outskirts, with no interruptions.

Mischa charged and mauled another Japanese soldier as I rushed over to another enemy. I grabbed the soldier's rifle and swung it back, then I punched the Japanese soldier, knocking him out against the wall of a houses. After this, we moved on down the street, with Vylkalev throwing a Molotov Cocktail that burned away a couple enemies, then I charged and grabbed the rifle of another enemy. I then punched the Japanese soldier, before taking the rifle and slicing him with the bayonet.

"Hurry," Chen said, "Get to the outskirts!"

With that, we all moved on down the streets, coming into the outskirts themselves. Once we came in, we noticed enemy positions in houses before us, so we took our own positions in different houses to engage them as they fired machine gun fire at our advance.

"Strike those machine guns!" Chen ordered.

Taking position by a window in a house, I fire my PPSH at the several different Japanese machine guns blazing at us from the buildings on the opposite side. Fierce intensity raged with bullets flying all over, with friendly soldiers firing shots from these building positions that raked the enemy positions. After dodging a few shots, I fired and gunned two enemies down in a building, then Vylkalev shot a couple more soldiers as I aimed and gunned down a machine gunner blazing at us. Chen shot a few Japanese as I fired and nailed two more enemies in a different window, then as Lin gunned another soldier down, I shot two more enemies. Enemy gunfire blazed and shot several friendlies, but I shot another machine gunner as Vylkalev gunned a couple other soldiers down, then Lin aimed and shot another soldier. I then fired shots that riddled four more Japanese in the different windows as Russian and Chinese soldiers fired intense gunfire that shot multiple enemies in the buildings, then I gunned down a machine gunner.

We kept fighting hard to destroy these machine gun positions opposite of us, with me gunning two soldiers down in a window, then dodging a volley of machine gun shots. Vylkalev fired intense cover that raked the enemy positions as I aimed and shot two more enemies, all while Chen and Lin fired shots that nailed several Japanese. As enemy gunshots rained at them, friendly soldiers kept firing shots that raked enemy positions and shot several Japanese, then I gunned down another machine gunner. Vylkalev then fired and shot a few more enemies as the Russians and Chinese kept firing shots that raked the enemy positions. After some more fighting, I aimed and shot a remaining machine gunner blazing at us, then I gunned another soldier down... Soon enough, we took out the machine gun positions and fought to destroy the last of the enemy presence.

"Burn them to the ground!" Vylkalev shouted.

We kept firing shots at the enemy house positions until they were wiped out. However, that's when two more enemy machine gun nests opened up, causing us to dive for cover. From my cover pieces, I fired suppressible shots back with my PPSH, but I still had to dodge their surprise fire. As friendly soldiers were pinned, suddenly, I saw a Soviet soldier with a ROKS 2 flamethrower, so I fired cover shots to distract the machine guns... Then once he got close enough, the Russian with the flamethrower sprayed immense fire at the two Japanese machine gun nests, emitting flames that burned away the two nests... Then as several Japanese soldiers came out, he sprayed fire that engulfed and incinerated them.

But our trouble wasn't over just yet, for two Japanese attack dogs, Black Belgian Malinois, charged in with terrifying growls. One dog rushed and mauled a Chinese soldier to death, fiercely ripping him with his teeth, but I aimed and gunned that dog down. Still, the other enemy dog came in to pounce at me... Just as Mischa jumped in and engaged the dog, fighting canine to canine. Mischa ultimately came out the victor.

"Get into that house!" Chen ordered.

Following this, I went into the building of the machine guns, checking all around, just as a Japanese soldier came at me with a Katana. Luckily, I grabbed the hilt of his sword, punched the Japanese soldier, then I took the sword and stabbed him, before withdrawing the heavy blade and slicing his head clean off, leaving only blood gushing from the neck.

That's when I climbed up the stairs and entered a room... Seeing just who I was looking for, Misuki.

I had found Misuki in this room, and immediately, he tried to run away... But with sharp anger, I charged. I then grabbed his lapels and punched him hard, knocking him down, as well as smacking his glasses away. With that, I tackled and pinned Misuki, then I was furiously beating the Japanese officer, punching him hard over and over a total of seven times... With him dazed, I stood up and held him to his knees by his lapels.

Chen and Vylkalev entered the room, gazing at Misuki, just as I angrily interrogated the man, "Where will I find Shirasaki?!" I demanded as I shook him. He didn't answer, so I slapped him an shook him again, "Where is he?!"

Eventually, the now scared Misuki spoke, and Chen translated for me, "He says his Colonel was last seen to the South West, at a series of villages."

"...Good." I said, then I took Misuki's own knife from his belt... Just before letting the man go while handing the knife over to Chen. "Iya... Matte (No... Wait)!" Misuki begged, but it was too late, for while I stood back, Chen, in satisfying fury, vengefully stabbed Misuki to death.

"We've taken the city," Vylkalev said, "We should prepare a defense at the nearby outskirts."

However, we heard noises coming from another room inside the house, from a door to the right. As we approached cautiously, readying our guns, I knocked on the door, leading it to be opened from the other side... And a sight of relief emerged as I saw Junichiro standing before me.

"Junichiro," Chen said with surprise, "Where did you come from?"

"I discovered someone useful to us in Hailar," Junichiro said, "I wanted to get to him before you attacked."

Junichiro signaled the useful man to come out... And to our surprise, as well as making Vylkalev and I a bit wary, the man revealed himself as a German soldier of Hershing's Asien Korps. He looked to be a Wehrmacht variant, with a green, unbuttoned smock over his dark grey M40 tunic and jackboots, a balaclava covering his face, save for his blue eyes and a black Stahlhelm with the Korps' signal. He wielded an FG-42 rifle, and next to him, stood a very beautiful young Japanese woman with a Hime cut and a worn kimono, looking nervous, yet becoming more relieved while staying at the German's side.

"...I'm Erich," the German soldier said, "...I... I left the Asien Korps," the man then looked to the young woman next to him, "This is my wife, Chiemi... I need to get her to safety... If... If you can help me... I can lead you to Shirasaki."

"You sure he's telling the truth?" Vylkalev spoke.

"I have no time for this," Erich said, "The Japanese will make an assault eventually, we need to be prepared... I'll help fend them off."

"I'll get Chiemi to safety," Junichiro, "Come, sister."

Junichiro lead Chiemi out of the house to get out of the city, then Vylkalev, Erich and I rejoined Chen and Lin back outside in the streets, seeing that friendly troops had secured this city area. I looked worried, but Lin gave me a smile of reassurance and then we all headed down to the outskirts just nearby. Once we reached the perimeter, we began taking defensive positions there.

The city now clear, we started forming a defensive line at the perimeter of Hailar to the South, where Japanese attacks were beginning to form. Coming to the edge of the Southern outskirts, saw a long trench line stretching across the perimeter of the outskirts, so Vylkalev and I entered the line as numerous Russian and Chinese soldiers came into this trench line as well. The friendly soldiers all filled and lined the trench line and then lay aimed their guns at the terrain before us outside the town.

With the Russian and Chinese soldiers lining the trench and aiming their rifles, I brandished my DP-28 gun as Vylkalev held his PPSH, then we aimed at the terrain as well. While we formed this strong defensive infantry line of riflemen, behind us, were different nests and positions in the outskirt streets and houses, filled with different riflemen and machine gunners. Chen and Lin positioned themselves in one of the nests, while Erich aimed a mounted DP 28 gun out a house window, seeking to prove his defection.

"They'll be coming, shortly," Chen warned, "Get ready!"

"We will send those rats to burn!" I said.

With all the friendly soldiers in positions in the trenches, nests and houses, all that was needed was to wait. The line of Chinese and Russians next to us in this trench all aimed their rifles with fearless determination, just waiting for any ambushes to come... And as I started to aim, soon enough, Japanese infantry waves started coming, with a few tanks in support.

"Fire," I ordered, "Break them!"

Immediately, the friendly soldiers lining the trench fired hails of gunfire at the incoming enemy infantry, shooting numerous Japanese in a fierce battle as the different positions behind us fired intense cover shots that raked and pinned some enemies as well. I gunned two soldiers down as Vylkalev shot a few other enemies, then I fired DP fire that nailed six more Japanese a midst the tense fighting. Chen shot several Japanese as Lin fired and nailed a few other soldiers, then the Russian and Chinese infantry lining the trench fired more fiery rifle fire that riddled multiple Japanese. Erich fired his DP gun from the house just behind us to the right, raking some Japanese as I fired intense shots that nailed five more Japanese. An enemy tank blazed a few shells towards us, but I noticed some mortar shells in the trench with us. I then grabbed one, primed it and threw it, blasting it to pieces. I shot two more soldiers as Vylkalev fired and nailed several enemies, then I gunned down two more Japanese soldiers.

Enemy infantry kept coming, and after fierce fighting, only one tank remained. In the fierce skirmish, I shot five different Japanese soldiers as Chen fired and nailed several enemies, then I gunned two soldiers down as well. With the trenches and positions of friendly soldiers firing shots that raked enemy troops, Vylkalev shot several other Japanese while Lin gunned a few enemies down. Enemy soldiers fired shots that gunned several friendlies down, but Erich fired DP gunfire and riddled multiple enemies, then I fired and shot six more Japanese a midst the fierce fighting. I then took another shell and threw it to destroy another tank that aimed at me, all while the Russians and Chinese fired immense gunfire that cut multiple enemies to pieces. Vylkalev then shot a few more soldiers as I gunned two other enemies down, all while Erich, Chen and Lin fired cover.

"I'll kill all you Jap bastards!" a Russian said, firing his gun.

Eventually we had fired and shot enough soldiers that the Japanese assault became greatly diminished, sending remaining soldiers spiraling back into retreat, all until they were gone... But if experience had told me before, that wouldn't have been it yet.

"They'll be back," Chen said, "Prepare yourselves, men!"

"All of you, hold these lines," I spoke, "We will not lose this city!"

Everyone reloaded and aimed their guns at the terrain once again, with Erich now wielding his FG-42 rifle. After some patience, a Japanese mortar strike hammered the ground near us, which was then followed by smoke. We all aimed our guns at the sounds of distant war cries, just before the smoke cleared, and we saw a great swathe of enemy infantry charging and firing shots as they came towards our defenses... So a fierce battle commenced as we fiercely held our ground, firing gunfire back at the massive Japanese assault.

"Eradicate these svoloches!" I shouted.

With this new greater force of Japanese infantry coming in, we all fired immense shots to hold them off, fighting a fierce battle to defend the outskirts of the town. From this trench line, I fired and shot six enemies, while at my side, the line of Russian and Chinese infantry fired immense gunfire which cut numerous Japanese soldiers to shreds. Vylkalev shot several Japanese with his PPSH gun from this trench, and as the friendly positions in buildings and nests behind us fired intense supporting fire that raked and pinned incoming enemies, this trench line filled with Russian and Chinese soldiers kept firing hails of fiery rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese in the vicious battle. I fired and shot five Japanese with my DP gun, then from the nests behind us, Chen and Lin fired shots that riddled multiple enemies. Vylkalev gunned a few soldiers down as the Russian and Chinese soldiers lining this trench fired more intense gunfire that shot up numerous Japanese, then the friendly positions behind us fired intense shots that nailed multiple enemies. I fired intense DP gunfire and shot seven more enemies, then the line of Russian and Chinese infantry here kept firing more fiery intense rifle fire that cut multiple Japanese to shreds, just as Chen and Lin fired cover shots from behind, holding the enemies back.

The vicious battle kept raging fiercely, with this line of Russian and Chinese soldiers firing intense shots that furiously raked and pinned incoming enemy soldiers, shooting numerous Japanese. However, as we kept fighting very hard, Japanese soldiers fired some shots back and gunned several friendlies down. In response, I fired DP fire that shot six Japanese soldiers while Vylkalev gunned a few more enemies down, then I kept firing intense shots that nailed six more Japanese in the fierce, hard fighting. The line of Russian and Chinese infantry fired immense hails of gunfire that cut multiple enemies to shreds as the friendly positions fired more fiery shots from the outskirt houses and nests behind us that riddled numerous other Japanese soldiers and positions, then the line of Russians and Chinese here kept firing more intense rifle fire that shot multiple more Japanese. I fired fierce DP gunfire and shot nine more Japanese as Vylkalev shot several more soldiers, then Chen and Lin fired intense shots from the positions behind us and gunned some enemies down as well. Still, the Japanese kept coming, firing intense shots that nailed multiple friendlies while still raining gunshots over us. However, we braved the continuous gunshots and kept fighting hard, with me shooting five more enemies as Vylkalev shot several other soldiers with his PPSH. This trench filled with Russians and Chinese fired intense gunfire that riddled numerous Japanese, as I fired and shot six enemies.

I kept fighting hard to fend off the still incoming Japanese attacks, with Vylkalev and I firing intense shots from this trench line, shooting some enemies. The Russians and Chinese here in the trench with us fired rifle shots that furiously raked and pinned Japanese soldiers fending them off even more, and greatly diminishing their offensive. Coming to join next to us in the trench and aiming, Erich fired intense FG-42 gunfire and shot multiple enemies as Vylkalev and I fired shots that cut down numerous Japanese, with the line of Russian and Chinese soldiers here with us firing immense hails of gunfire that riddled numerous more Japanese as well. However, while the enemy attack severely dwindled, Japanese soldiers fired shots that gunned multiple friendlies down. In response, as Erich kept firing cover shots that raked the Japanese troops, I fired and shot five Japanese as the line of Russians and Chinese fired more intense gunfire that cut multiple enemies to shreds, bullets ripping flesh and limbs off. With the positions behind us firing intense shots that raked the enemy infantry, Vylkalev shot several soldiers and then I fired DP fire that nailed six more Japanese, all while the line of Russians and Chinese fired immense gunfire that shot multiple enemies to pieces... Eventually, we started driving them off.

"Ha," Chen said, "The cowards run!"

We all kept fighting and firing at the enemies until they had retreated completely... We had won this battle for Hailar, and as we moved on, any remaining resistance would be mopped up by other Soviet troops. As such, Russians started rounding up a great many live Japanese prisoners on the streets behind us, placing them on the street... Soon, Chinese civilians hiding away in the buildings started to come out.

"Move, you Japanese pigs!" a Russian said as he and several others forced some captured enemies up against a wall.

"(Please, I beg you)!" a captured Japanese soldier said, but the several Russians aimed their PPSH guns and fired hails of shots that furiously and mercilessly gunned down the multiple Japanese soldiers in a punishing execution. Meanwhile, two other Russians were fiercely beating a captured Japanese soldier with hard punches and kicks, then they finished him off with their bayonets.

With that, as Russian soldiers stood guard nearby, the civilians coming out went over and confronted the group of captured Japanese on the street, glaring at them. Immediately, the civilians picked up stones and threw them at the captured Japanese. The civilians jeered at the Japanese prisoners, with some kicking and spitting at them while others kept throwing stones

"Sǐshén láile rìjūn (Death to the Japanese army)," a Chinese civilian said, "Dǎdǎo rìběn dìguó (Down with Imperial Japan)!"

As this went on, Chen and Lin went to help secure some points as Vylkalev and I walked over to the edge of the town, with Mischa and Erich following. We all stood there, looking at the fields before us.

"Well... We won." Vylkalev said, "The Japanese will be finished."

"...The two of us aren't finished yet," I said, then I turned to Erich, who walked towards me, "...Tell me where he is, Erich."


	31. M-15: Setting of the Sun - Pt 1

_Japan has finally accepted the surrender. It seems we have punished them enough into doing so... My war will not be over yet, not until those that I am personally engaged in conflict with have been silenced. The forces of Hiroshi Shirasaki continue to live, so I will silence all of them... Even encounters with old enemies will not stop me.  
_

 **'Setting of the Sun'**

 **Manchuria, China**

 **August 20, 1945**

 **Cpt. Viktor Reznov**

 **2nd Red Banner Army**

Erich had actually been very helpful, since we got his young wife, Chiemi, to safety. I saw Erich embrace Chiemi for one last time before we set out to find Shirasaki... And as he started to leave, I saw her actually give me a smile, grateful for my help... Or maybe it was to reassure me into trusting the German so he could lead us to the secrets kept away here.

I looked over the terrains, wondering whatever mysteries I might encounter as I continued on with this conflict, as encounters with the past still loomed in my head. However, as Erich was now with us, I could at least have some preparation for what we might be seeing and confronting.

We all made our way to the South East, with Erich leading us there. Following our lead, Russian and Chinese troops came with as we moved across these lands, making our way to some bamboo jungles just surrounding the series of villages where Shirasaki was supposedly last seen... He may be gone by now, but it was still worth checking anyways.

Moving up to the suspected area, we rested for a bit, waiting for Junichiro to finish scouting the upcoming enemies around the first village. Vylkalev and I stood next to a tree on a short mound, overlooking the Russian and Chinese soldiers conversing and waiting to make their assault.

Lin was nearby, joyfully playing with Mischa. She tossed a stick, and the dog excitedly ran after and caught it in her teeth. Mischa then pranced back to Lin, who happily petted the dog. Lin then looked at me and gave me a friendly smile for a moment before resuming to play with Mischa.

I notice this woman has taken a liking of me, likely because of the extensive help I myself was giving, but even more likely because Chen is a close fatherly mentor to her, and she's been very grateful that I saved him at Nomonhan all those years ago.

Soon, Junichiro came back, emerging from nearby bamboo and went over to Chen, "There's enemy positions in the field up ahead," Junichiro spoke, "Thats followed by a trench line shortly beyond that... Then there's the village, it's mostly just infantry, but I couldn't get much further then that."

"...All right," Chen said, then Vylkalev and I walked over to him as Lin put on her Stahlhelm, "Viktor, Mikhail, my troops will advance up the fields... That ridge over there to the left, you can take your men up there and give cover fire... Same idea as before, yes."

"Of course," Vykalev said, then turned to the others, "Everyone, move out."

With that, all the troops put on their helmets and wielded their guns. Chen and Lin then lead all the Chinese troops through the fields, while Vylkalev and I lead the Russian soldiers up the bamboo lined ridge to the left, moving across it as we made our way until we came to our first target.

I had my Russians position themselves in this bamboo lined ridge, and as I wielded my DP-28 gun, Vylkalev and I aimed our guns at the Japanese defenses on the field before us. I saw a great series of different Japanese infantry positions and machine gun nests spread over the grasslands below us... And as we were in position and aimed at the enemies, I saw Chen and his forces moving up on the field.

"You know," Vylkalev said, "As much as a great fighter you are, Viktor... I should say, you're impressing as a commander as well."

"You finally see it, hm." I said, rather teasingly.

"...Sure," Vylkalev spoke, "Now just keep your attention on these villages."

Vylkalev, the Russians and I continued to aim our guns as Chen and his Chinese forces move into the field... Then after a moment, Chen and Lin lead their forces in a fierce assault against the Japanese positions, and we made our move to cover them in an intense skirmish.

"Ambush them!" Chen ordered, "Eliminate all their nests!"

A vicious battle commenced as the Chinese forces charged at the Japanese positions, braving the enemy fire as they made their assault. As this intense fighting went on, we Russians fired gunfire from the bamboo lined ridges, raining rifle shots at the Japanese positions below us. With us Russians firing cover fire from these ridges, on the field, the Chinese were firing intense rifle fire at the Japanese positions, infantry and nests, firing shots that nailed multiple enemies and shot up different positions in the vicious fighting. I fired and shot five Japanese as Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down, then the Russians fired shots that riddled and destroyed several positions. However, as they held on, the Japanese fired gunfire that riddled numerous Chinese. In response, I gunned two soldiers down as Chen and Lin fired shots from the field and nailed several Japanese, then I shot a machine gunner. Enemy gunshots rained heavily over the Chinese charging across the field, so the Russians fired and shot up several positions, raking and pinning enemy soldiers as I fired intense DP fire and shot six Japanese, then the Chinese fired immense gunfire that riddled multiple Japanese and shot up some positions. Vylkalev fired and nailed a few other soldiers as I aimed and shot a machine gunner.

The Chinese kept charging at the Japanese positions in this field, even as enemy soldiers fired shots that cut multiple Chinese down, some bullets shredding off flesh. In retaliation, we Russians kept firing immense cover fire from our ridges, shooting up several positions and nailing some enemy soldiers as well. With this, pushing on past the enemy gunshots blazing at them, the Chinese fired intense rifle fire from their field positions and shot numerous Japanese, then the Chinese kept firing intense gunfire that raked and pinned different enemy positions. I gunned two soldiers down as Vylkalev shot several more soldiers, then I fired DP shots that nailed five other Japanese. The Japanese positions blazed more shots that nailed several Chinese, so I gunned two enemies down, then Chen and Lin fired shots that riddled some enemies. With the Chinese firing intense gunfire that shot multiple Japanese in the vicious fighting, I fired shots that nailed five enemies as Vylkalev and the Russians fired shots that furiously raked the enemy positions, then while the Chinese kept firing fiery rifle fire that riddled numerous Japanese soldiers and shot up multiple positions to pieces in the fierce battle, I fired intense DP fire that nailed six more Japanese. Vylkalev shot a few more soldiers as I gunned two more enemies down, then Chen and Lin fired shots that nailed several enemies while I fired more shots that riddled five other Japanese and shot up a few of their positions.

While the Chinese fighting fiercely with the Japanese positions in the field, we Russians kept firing cover shots at the enemy positions, and we all had helped eliminate even more positions that left the enemy defenses diminishing. However, the Japanese continued to hold on, blazing shots that cut some Chinese down, so we Russians fired more shots that raked and pinned enemy soldiers and positions, letting the Chinese fire fiery gunfire that shot up and destroyed multiple Japanese positions. I shot five Japanese as Vylkalev fired and nailed several more enemies, then I shot up a nest. With Chen and Lin firing shots from the field that riddled several positions, I shot two enemies as Vylkalev gunned a couple other soldiers down, then I aimed and shot two more Japanese. We Russians kept firing cover shots that furiously riddled and destroyed some more Japanese nests, with me firing and shooting five enemy soldiers, then the Chinese fired more immense rifle fire that riddled numerous Japanese and shot up several positions, leaving only several of them left. I fired DP fire that nailed five more Japanese as Vylkalev shot a few more enemies, then I gunned two more soldiers down as the Russians fired cover shots at remaining enemy nests, letting me shoot up and destroy another nest.

"Fire," a Chinese soldier said, "Destroy their positions!"

"Raze these fiendish animals!" another Chinese soldier shouted.

As we kept fighting fiercely, the Russians and Chinese fired more gunfire that shot up the remaining Japanese positions in this field, finally clearing them away and allowing us to move on to the next set of defenses to destroy so we can strike the village.

"Reznov, let's move up," Vylkalev said, "We'll continue to cover them."

With that, Vylkalev and I lead the Russian troops across the bamboo lined ridges, with Mischa running at our side. Once we moved along, we came to another ridge, this one overlooking a Japanese trench line, the last defense in the way of the village.

From our new ridge positions, Vylkalev, the Russians and I all aimed our guns at the enemy line below, just as I saw Chen's forces moving into the grasslands to engage the trench... And then Chen's troops rushed in to fight in battle against the trench, while we Russians gave cover.

"Burn this trench line," Chen demanded, "Clear it out!"

The Chinese charged the grasslands and fired intense rifle fire that raked the Japanese trench line, and from our new bamboo lined ridges, we Russians fired intense cover shots that riddled the enemy trench. In the fierce fighting, the line of Japanese fired intense gunfire that cut numerous Chinese to pieces, some bullets ripping off limbs and flesh, so we Russians kept firing shots which shot up the trench, raking and pinning some enemy defenders. I fired and shot five Japanese in the trench as Vylkalev aimed and gunned a few soldiers down as well, then the Chinese fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese in the trench they were facing in the vicious battle. A midst the fierce intensity of heated bullets whistling and flying all over, the Japanese fired intense shots that riddled multiple Chinese rushing across the grasslands, so I fired intense DP fire and shot six more enemies in the trench as Chen and Lin fired shots that nailed several Japanese. The Chinese then fired rifle fire from their field positions and shot numerous Japanese in the trench as our Russians soldiers kept firing intense gunfire that riddled the enemy defensive line, raking and pinning enemy soldiers. Vylkalev fired his PPSH and gunned a few more soldiers down as I fired DP shots that nailed five more enemies, then the Chinese fired more intense gunfire that riddled multiple Japanese in the trench line a midst the fierce battle, while the Russians kept firing cover shots.

We all kept fighting this enemy trench, firing shots to try and eliminate the line. Still, even as their line diminished, the Japanese here still held on, firing gunfire that shot numerous Chinese in fierce fighting. In response, I gunned two soldiers down as Chen fired and shot several enemies, then I shot two more soldiers while Lin fired and nailed a few other Japanese. The Russians fired shots that nailed several Japanese and raked their positions, then I fired and shot five more enemies with DP fire as Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down. The Chinese moved up and kept fighting hard to clear away the trench, with Chen and Lin firing shots that riddled several enemies, then I fired intense DP gunfire that nailed five more Japanese while the Chinese fired fiery gunfire that riddled multiple Japanese in the trench. Fierce fighting continued as the enemy trench line diminished greatly, with the Russians firing shots that raked the enemy trench line and the Chinese pressing on past constant enemy gunshots raining over them. In the fierce battle, I shot two soldiers as Vylkalev fired and nailed several more enemies, then I aimed and gunned down two enemies remaining. As we kept firing cover, the Chinese went up and fired shots that cut numerous remaining Japanese in the trench to pieces.

"Burn these dirty Japs!" a Chinese soldier shouted furiously.

"Fire on that gunner!" another Chinese soldier said.

After much fierce, hard fighting, we had cleared out the trench, and now there was nothing left between us and the first village. Wondering what we were waiting for, we all rushed over, with Vylkalev and I continuing to lead the Russians across the ridge, with Mischa at our side, as Chen and Lin lead their Chinese troops across the grasslands, heading to directly engage the first village.

"The first village is up ahead," Vylkalev spoke, "Let's take it!"

Vylkalev and I made our way to the final part of the ridge, with the Russian troops following after. We positioned ourselves at the last part of the ridge and overlooked the village itself... Immediately, coming upon the first village, we saw Japanese soldiers positioned in several buildings and nests in the outside grasses.

...But on the perimeter of the village, I saw numerous Japanese soldiers standing before and intimidating a large group of Chinese villagers.

"Ronbun kegareta Chūgoku no gomi o moyashite iru koto o kakuninshitekudasai (Make sure to burn these dirty Chinese rubbish)!" a Japanese soldier spoke in front of the horrified civilians.

"Anata fuketsuna Chankoros (You filthy Chankoros)!" another Japanese remarked to the crowd of villagers.

As we were still positioning ourselves, the Japanese soldiers aimed and fired hails of immense gunfire that brutally cut the terrified civilians to shreds, shooting most of them down right there in a pool of blood. As the Japanese kept cruelly and viciously shooting most of the innocent villagers, some civilians tried to escape, but Japanese soldiers simply chased them down and shot them or stabbed them with bayonets.

...I felt very angered at these fiendish atrocities, but also that we arrived just a bit to late to save most of who died... Still, as Chen's forces started to move in, we could make sure to avenge their losses, by eradicating their murderers.

"Fire," I shouted, "Raze these wretched animals!"

From our ridge lined with bamboo, I angrily shot several of the enemy soldiers responsible for the massacre, while Vylkalev and the Russians blazed shots that cut most of the other executioners down, eventually bringing them all down... As the Chinese then made their assault, a fierce battle ensued.

"Our friends need cover," I said, "Keep firing on these filthy svoloches!"

We all fired shots that riddled the Japanese positions in the village a midst fierce fighting. The Chinese fiercely assaulted the Japanese outskirts positions directly as my Russians fired cover shots that raked and pinned the Japanese soldiers, though the enemies fired shots back at friendly soldiers. I fired and shot five enemies in the village outskirts while Vylkalev shot several other soldiers from this ridge with his PPSH, then I fired more DP fire that nailed six more Japanese and riddled their positions. With Vylkalev, our Russians and I firing cover shots that raked the enemy nests, while braving enemy gunshots raining over them, the Chinese fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple Japanese, then they kept firing shots that raked and pinned more enemy soldiers and positions in the vicious battle. I aimed and gunned two soldiers down as Chen and Lin fired shots from their cover pieces and shot several enemies, then I fired and nailed five more Japanese in the village. The Japanese, however, kept firing gunshots that cut numerous Chinese down, so our Russians fired gunfire that riddled and destroyed several different enemy positions. I then shot two more enemies as Vylkalev fired and nailed a few more soldiers, while I aimed and gunned two more soldiers down.

The Chinese kept firing intense gunfire that riddled multiple more Japanese and shot up several enemy positions in vicious fighting, then I fired DP fire which shot five more enemies while the Russians fired cover shots at the enemy nests. Japanese soldiers and machine gunners kept blazing gunshots that raked Chinese soldiers and positions, so Vylkalev shot several more soldiers with PPSH fire, then Chen fired shots that nailed a few more enemies as Lin aimed and shot a few other Japanese, then the Russians and Chinese fired immense gunfire that riddled Japanese soldiers and positions. As I gunned two more enemies down in a house, however, the Japanese fired shots that cut multiple Chinese to pieces, so I fired and shot five Japanese soldiers, then as Vylkalev shot up a few enemies, I shot up and destroyed a few positions, causing the enemy defenses in the outskirts to dwindle greatly. Still, enemy soldiers fired and rained shots at friendlies, so I fired and shot five more Japanese in the houses. Then as the Chinese fired gunfire that shot numerous Japanese to pieces, I shot up a couple positions and gunned down two more soldiers.

With us Russians still firing intense cover shots that raked and destroyed some more positions, Vylkalev and I shot and multiple enemies from the ridge, while in the field Chen and Lin fired and nailed several more enemies. As they braved remaining enemy gunshots still raining at them, the Chinese fired intense rifle fire that shot up multiple remaining enemy positions and riddled numerous Japanese with gunfire, then Vylkalev and I shot up the remaining several Japanese outskirt position... That's when Chen and Lin lead their troops to move into the village, fighting Japanese soldiers in the paths and houses within the settlement. As the Chinese were fighting Japanese infantry in the village, firing intense rifle fire that riddled enemy soldiers and positions in houses and pathways, Vylkalev and I kept firing cover shots at enemies for them, with me firing intense gunfire that nailed six Japanese soldiers. The Japanese fired shots to fend off the Chinese infiltrating the villa, so the Russian soldiers fired shots that raked and shot up several positions in the village. In the intense fighting, still braving gunshots raining over them, the Chinese fired intense rifle fire that shot up and destroyed multiple Japanese positions within the village, then I fired and shot five more enemies.

After much hard fighting, the Chinese soldiers had cleared more than half of the village, then they kept moving through to keep fighting more enemy positions as we Russians fired cover shots to support them. I shot two enemies in a house as Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down, then I fired DP fire that nailed five more Japanese in a couple different houses. As they kept fighting through the village, pressing on past desperate gunshots raining over them, Chen fired and nailed several Japanese as Lin shot a few more soldiers, then the Chinese fired intense rifle shots that riddled several more enemy positions to pieces. I then gunned two more soldiers down in another house as Vylkalev shot a couple more soldiers, then I fired and nailed two more enemies as well. With the Russians firing intense cover shots, the Chinese fired rifle fire that riddled multiple Japanese as I fired and shot five enemies with DP fire... Eventually, the Chinese kept fighting their way to the other end of the village.

"Let's get over there, Viktor," Vylkalev said, "The rest of you, hold here."

The other Russians remained on the short ridge as Vylkalev and I moved down and entered the village, making our way through the villa. We went up to a few Japanese soldiers, with me punching one enemy down as Vylkalev struck another with his gun's stock, then I punched the last Japanese soldier twice, leaving them all knocked out. We continued on until we saw Chen's forces... And immediately, they were in trouble as a remaining Japanese machine gun in a house was firing and tying down our allies.

"Destroy that damned nest!" Chen demanded.

Taking cover by another house, Vylkalev and I fired shots at the enemy machine gun, but the gunner fired back, driving us into cover. I then fired at the machine gun again as it kept firing shots that pinned the Chinese down. Vylkalev also fired cover, but we were both driven back by another return volley. Still, we both braved this and kept firing shots that raked the machine gun nest. Several Japanese soldiers appeared by the house, so I fired and shot a couple of them down. One enemy threw a grenade, but I just picked it up and threw it back, taking out the other Japanese in a blast... Still the enemy gunner kept blazing.

...Suddenly, however, Mischa then emerged from her cover and rushed at the enemy house, so I fired shots to cover her. Eventually, the dog reached the house, leaping through the window, and Mischa proceeded to fiercely maul the Japanese gunner... A couple Japanese soldiers then appeared, so I rushed up to them and fiercely slashed them down with my knife, finishing them off...

We then walked over and entered the house, seeking to retrieve Mischa. We both then entered another room in the house, where we cornered a few surrendering Japanese soldiers... But as we looked around, we saw a crate of gold bars. In response, Vylkalev went to one of the surrendering Japanese soldiers talking to him, smacking him down hard with his PPSH stock... Chinese soldiers then came in to take the Japanese prisoners away as we then inspected the gold... The enemy presence was destroyed and the first village was finally secure, so Vylkalev and I went to meet with Chen, with Mischa walking over with us.

"Hm, good dog," Chen said as we walked over to him, "Thank you, Viktor."

"We'll continue on through these villages." Vylkalev said.

"Well good luck to you," Chen said, "But... I'm afraid we must part ways. My men and I are needed to the West, so you'll have to continue on your own... I'm confident you'll find Shirasaki."

I shook Chen's hand and said, "We will prevail," then I turned to Lin as she walked over to me and spoke, "You can take Mischa with you Lin, you'll find that you'll need her... Take care of her."

With a calm, reassuring smile, Lin responded, "...I will, sir."

"Come, Viktor." Vylkalev spoke, then as Mischa stayed with Lin, who petted the dog, Vylkalev and I walked out of the villa back to the ridge.

The both of us climbed up the ridge and regrouped with our Russians, all while Chen and his forces moved themselves over towards the West. Vylkalev and I were then leading the Russian troops across the terrain, continuing through the South East, and as we moved, we came upon some bamboo jungles... Though we no longer had Chen's help, we remained confident, yet careful, as we searched for Shirasaki.

"Be on your guard," Vylkalev said, "Who knows what's out here."

Now brandishing my PPSH, Vylkalev and I lead the Russians through the bamboo jungles, moving rather cautiously. As we all moved up rather slowly, soon I saw soldiers, shadowy looking ones, coming at us. As they all got closer, I soon discovered they were enemies coming to confront us... But I saw closely that these enemies were not Japanese troops, no, all these enemy soldiers were different enemies... These soldiers all looked tough, each of them wearing dark grey M40 tunics, dark green smocks over their uniforms, jackboots, balaclavas, wielding FG-42 battle rifles and STG 44 assault rifles... And German Stahlhelms... These were German soldiers.

"Enemy soldiers," Vykalev said, "Fend them off!"

We Russians engaged in a vicious skirmish with these German soldiers, and as Vylkalev and I fired shots to fend them off, in incredibly fierce fighting, the German soldiers fired intense gunfire that shot multiple Russians in these bamboo jungles. As the German soldiers kept firing shots that fiercely raked and pinned friendly soldiers, I fired and shot two of the enemies firing at me, then the Russians fired shots that raked the incoming enemies, then I shot two more soldiers. These soldiers firing hails of shots at us were tough, but still easy to fight, so I shot another soldier, then Vylkalev fired and nailed a couple enemies. As we Russians kept firing shots to fend off the attacking Germans, I shot two more enemies, though the Germans fired intense gunfire back and shot several friendlies. In response I gunned another soldier down as Vylkalev fired and nailed a couple more enemies, then I shot another soldier firing at me from the right. With fierce fighting raging, as they braved the terrifying German fire raining at them, the Russian soldiers fired shots that nailed several of the enemies, then I fired and shot two more soldiers a midst the skirmish.

The Germans kept ambushing us, firing immensely fierce gunfire that raked and pinned friendly soldiers in these bamboo jungles. A midst the fierce fighting, as Vylkalev and I fired cover shots, Russians fired rifle fire back that raked the enemy positions, though the enemy soldiers fired shots back that riddled friendly positions. In response, braving enemy shots, I fired PPSH fire and shot six enemies, further diminishing the enemy presence, then I evaded shots blazing at me as Vylkalev shot a few more enemies, then I shot two more soldiers. The Germans fired intense shots that nailed several friendlies, and though Russian soldiers fired shots back that raked the enemy soldiers, the Germans fired intense shots back that fiercely riddled friendly positions. I shot a soldier firing at me as Vylkalev fired cover shots, then I gunned down another soldier down. After much vicious fighting with the strong German soldiers firing at our positions, I fired and shot two more soldiers, then the Russians fired gunfire that shot several more remaining Germans, then I eventually shot one of the last Germans firing at us.

"Keep fighting!" Vylkalev shouted.

We all kept up our defense, and though we lost some men to intense gunshots, we fired and shot the last of the German soldiers here.

The fighting over, Vylkalev and I went over to one of the dead German soldiers. Vylkalev kicked over a dead German onto his back, letting us inspect hm closer. From the look of his uniform, as well as the dragon resting on the swastika on the side of his helmet, I saw these were Asien Korps men.

"...Germans," Vylkalev said, then he pointed at the symbol on the dead German's helmet, "...These are of the Asien Korps."

"...Hershing... He's here," I said, "Right now?"

I saw these Germans were of the Wehrmacht variants of the German Asien Korps, recognizable by the Wehrmacht decal and their dark grey uniforms under the smock, unlike the pitch black of the SS variants. Most of the Germans of the Korps I encountered were men, but I also saw many women in their uniform, trained and fighting as combatants at their side. The Wehrmacht Asien Korps soldiers were very strong fighters, tougher than both the Japanese and even regular Wehrmacht troops I encountered... However, these Wehrmacht variants of the Asien Korps were still fairly easy to engage with, especially compared to their SS counterparts... Nevertheless, we would be even extra careful now we'd be seeing both of them.

We entered some bamboo jungles and, as we moved through, we encountered more enemies. There were more German soldiers here in these jungles, and this time, there were Japanese soldiers with to assist them... So we engaged them in a fierce skirmish in this bamboo jungle.

"Drive them to Hell!" I ordered.

With that, as the German and Japanese soldiers in the trees firing intense gunfire at us, Vylkalev and I fired shots back that raked the enemy soldiers, then the Russians fired intense gunfire back and shot some enemies. However, from their tree positions, the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense gunfire and shooting numerous friendlies, then they kept firing shots that riddled friendly tree positions. A midst this fierce skirmish in the bamboo jungles, I shot two enemies in the jungle, then Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down as I then shot another soldier. As the fierce fighting raged, I fired PPSH shots that nailed five more enemies, then the Russians fired shots from their tree positions and shot multiple enemies in the jungles. As I gunned two more soldiers down, the Germans and Japanese kept firing shots that raked friendlies, so I fired more PPSH fire that nailed five enemies.

The vicious battle in the bamboo jungle raged furiously as the friendly and enemy sides kept firing rifle shots at each other's tree positions. I shot two more enemies as Vylkalev fired and nailed a few other soldiers, then I gunned two more enemies down. In the vicious fighting, the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense rifle fire which shot numerous more Russians, then they kept firing shots that riddled friendly positions here in this jungle. Despite this, we kept fighting hard, with me firing shots that nailed five more enemies as Vylkalev gunned a couple more enemies down, then I shot two more enemies as well. The Russians fired intense gunfire from their tree positions and shot multiple enemies, then I gunned two soldiers down as friendlies braved gunshots and fired rifle fire that riddled enemy positions. As I gunned another soldier down, Vylkalev shot a few more enemies, but the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense hails of rifle fire that shot multiple friendlies. In response, I fired and shot five enemy soldiers back.

We kept fighting fiercely and hard to rid the enemies from this bamboo jungle. The German and Japanese soldiers kept firing rifle shots that riddled friendly positions, so I fired shots that nailed five more enemies, then Vylkalev gunned a couple more soldiers down. Fierce fighting raged in these bamboo jungles, with the Russians firing gunfire that shot multiple enemies here, then I gunned two enemies down. Enemy soldiers kept firing shots that rained at us, but we braved past it and kept fighting, with me gunning another soldier down, and then Vylkalev shooting a few more enemies, then I shot two other soldiers. With the enemy forces nearly cleared in this set of bamboo, the Russians fired intense gunfire that shot numerous remaining enemies, then I fired PPSH fire that nailed five other remaining soldiers... After much fighting, we cleared away the enemies in this bamboo forest.

"They're destroyed," Vylkalev said, "Move up!"

We all kept moving through the bamboo jungles until we emerged out and found a second, rather small village, seeing more enemies present. We all took positions around the ridge off the side of the villa, inspecting the settlement.

"There's the next village, Reznov," Vylkalev spoke, "Let's check it for Shirasaki."

Once reaching this second, smaller village, we found German soldiers and some Japanese patrolling. As we looked at the start, we saw by a building that there were a few dead Communist Chinese guerillas, with enemy German Shepherd attack dogs chewing at and eating the flesh from these dead Chinese guerillas... We then looked over and saw some German soldiers, in a moment of kindness, handing food and supplies to some Chinese civilians and then sending them on their way.

As the Germans showed friendliness to the Chinese civilians, at the other end of the village, a few German soldiers fiercely beating a couple of captured Chinese guerilla fighters, hitting them hard with intense fury.

"Ich werde dich schmutzig kommunistische chinesische Dreck töten (I'll kill you dirty Communist Chinese filth)!" a German shouted at the captured geurillas.

"China hat keine Notwendigkeit für Sie schmutzigen kommunistischen chinesischen Schweine (China has no need for you filthy Communist Chinese pigs)!" another German said at the couple guerillas.

With them fiercely beating the two guerillas, one German pinned and kept punching a Chinese guerilla over and over, while two Germans were fiercely hitting the other pinned Chinese guerilla hard with their fists. The Germans kept viciously punching and hitting the Chinese guerillas hard in fierce beatings, then they stood back up and drew out their pistols.

"Bàituō, wǒ qiú qiú nǐle (Please, I beg you)." a Chinese guerilla said.

However, the Germans didn't listen, for they drew their pistols, aimed and shot the couple captives. We all moved around in different positions, searching for a good place to attack... Eventually, we found one, and we all aimed our guns at the villa.

"Ready when you are, Viktor." Vylkalev said as he aimed his gun.

Carefully aiming my PPSH, I aimed and shot an enemy officer, then we all moved from the bamboo line and rushed at the village... And once we entered the settlement, Japanese and Germans fired gunfire back to try and fend us off.

"Clear the svoloches from the settlement!" I shouted.

A fierce battle raged in the village as we Russians assaulted and fired gunfire at enemy positions, but the German and Japanese soldiers fired gunfire back as well. I gunned two enemies down, and then Vylkalev shot a few more enemies, but as the vicious fighting raged, the Germans and Japanese fired intense gunfire that shot numerous friendlies, then fired shots that riddled friendly positions. As the fierce fighting raged heavily, I fired PPSH fire and shot five more enemies, then the Russians fired fiery gunfire that shot numerous enemies in response while Vylkalev shot a couple more soldiers. Enemy gunshots still rained over us as I shot two more soldiers, then the Russians fired intense rifle fire raked the enemy positions while I fired and shot five more enemies. With the fierce fighting raging, Vylkalev shot a few more soldiers and then I fired intense gunfire that nailed five more enemies, but the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense rifle fire that shot multiple different Russians, then fired shots that riddled friendly positions. I gunned two soldiers down in response as Vylkalev fired and nailed a few enemies, then I shot two more soldiers.

Vicious fighting still raged in the tense skirmish in this village, with friendly and enemy soldiers firing fierce rifle shots at the other's positions. We Russians kept firing gunfire that shot enemies in the houses, just as I fired PPSH fire that nailed five more enemies. Vylkalev fired and nailed several more soldiers, then the Russians fired intense gunfire that shot multiple enemies and shot up different enemy positions as Vylkalev and I kept firing cover shots. I shot two more soldiers, but the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense rifle fire that riddled friendly positions. In response, the Russians fired rifle shots that raked the enemy positions, then Vylkalev shot a few more enemies as well. The Germans and Japanese kept firing rifle shots that raked friendly positions, so as Vylkalev and I fired more cover, the Russians fired immense gunfire which fired numerous enemies, then I fired PPSH fire and shot five more enemies... After much fierce fighting, we cleared away the enemies in these village houses.

"It seems Shirasaki isn't here," I said, "Everyone, keep moving."

We all moved to leave the settlement... But once we neared the end of the village, some more dangerous enemies showed up. The Wehrmacht soldiers of the German Asien Korps were very strong enough, but we found ourselves facing off against the even tougher SS varients of the Korps... And if that weren't bad enough, they had two black clothed, SS arm band wearing gunner soldiers armed with MG 34 machine guns in support.

"Chyort!" I shouted.

As we engaged them, the SS Korps soldiers fired immense hails of furious gunfire that riddled multiple Russians, their powerful bullets fiercely tearing them down and forcing the rest of us to cover. As the Korps soldiers fired at me, I aimed and shot a Korps soldier, then another one fired at me, but as Vylkalev fired cover, I fired and shot another soldier. However, other Korps soldiers fired shots, driving me to cover as their powerful bullets nearly gunned me down. Vylkalev and the Russians fired cover as the Korps soldiers rained gunshots on them, so I fired hails of shots that nailed two Korps soldiers firing at me, but one of the gunners fired at me. As I took cover, I fired back, but he fired again, then I dodged shots. Eventually, as I kept firing, I shot that one gunner down, and the skirmish continued.

The Korps German soldiers kept firing immense gunfire at us, riddling some friendlies with strong, powerful fire. A Korps soldier fired at me, so I aimed and shot that enemy down, then Vylkalev fired cover shots at the enemies. With enemy gunshots raining over us heavily, pouring like sharp rain, I fired immense shots that nailed two more Korps soldiers, then I dodged a volley from the other gunner and aimed and fired at him. Eventually, the gunner unsheathed his saber and charged at me, but I kept firing at him until I gunned him down. One Korps soldier remained and fired at me, but with Vylkalev firing cover, I fired and shot that last enemy... The skirmish was over.

"That's it," Vylkalev said, "Move up, men."

"Be careful," I said, "There could be more of them at the next village."

We came to the exit of this village, and that's when a German soldier came out, aiming at us... But before he could fire, suddenly, a black and white dog, Mischa, rushed at him and grasped hold of his rifle with her teeth. The enemy and the dog struggled hard, and that's when another German soldier came out and shot the enemy fighting with Mischa... When I looked closer, to my relief, I saw that this German soldier was Erich himself, then another ally with a Stahlhelm followed with him, Mei Lin.

"Erich, Lin," I spoke, "What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to scout ahead," Erich said, "And Lin believes you'll need her and Mischa again."

"What for?" Vylkaev pondered.

"Good news is Shirasaki is still in the area," Erich spoke, "He's in the last village to the East... But he has more German soldiers of the Korps with him and his Japanese garrisons."

"We'll handle them." I said with stern reassurance.

"Lin and I will perform reconnaissance," Erich said, "We'll give you cover fire once you're in that village."

"Good," Vylkalev said, then turned to the men, "Everyone move out!"

"Come on, Lin." Erich said, then he and Lin started moving into the bamboo jungle to the right with Mischa, while Vylkalev and I lead the Russian forces with us as we moved across the field, ready to find Shirasaki, and to fight and eliminate these German forces of the Korps.

German soldiers here in China, unusual... But I wasn't too surprised. This was where Hershing and his troops were stationed from what I have heard... I was now more determined to find Shirasaki... And if Hershing was indeed still here, I would make even more sure to find him.


	32. M-15: Setting of the Sun - Pt 2

Once coming out of the second village, we emerged onto some grasslands... And that's when we saw even more of German and Japanese soldiers working and fighting side by side to hold their defenses.

Moving into the field, we came upon a strong trench line, filled with German and Japanese lining the trench all aiming their guns at whatever forces come to oppose them.

"Enemy trench line," Vylkalev said, "German and Japanese forces, let's get the svoloches!"

Seeing the enemy trench filled with German and Japanese soldiers, Vylkalev and I lead the Russian soldiers in assaulting the enemy line. Immediatey, the line of Germans and Japanese fired immense hails of fiery gunfire that shot multiple of our Russians in fierce fighting, while I fired shots back that riddled the enemy trench. As the trench of German and Japanese infantry kept firing intense rifle rifle that cut numerous friendlies to pieces in the vicious battle, Vylkalev and I kept charging, braving the enemy gunshots, with Russians firing rifle fire that raked the enemy trench. I fired and shot five enemies with PPSH fire, then Vylkalev shot a few more soldiers, though German and Japanese soldiers kept firing gunfire that raked and pinned friendly positions. In response, I fired PPSH fire that nailed six more enemies in the trench, then the Russians fired shots that gunned several enemies down. As Vylkalev and I fired intense cover shots that raked the enemy trench, the Germans and Japanese kept firing immensely fierce gunfire which cut numerous Russians down. As I fired more PPSH fire and shot five more enemies, Vylkalev shot several more enemies in the trench. I gunned two soldiers down as the Russians fired shots that riddled the enemy trench, then I shot another two enemies. The Germans and Japanese fired more intense gunfire that raked and pinned Russian soldiers, so I fired PPSH shots that nailed five more enemies in the trench.

The vicious fighting kept raging, with the line of Germans and Japanese still firing hails of intense rifle fire that shot multiple friendlies, but we Russians kept charging and firing shots that riddled the enemy trench with me shooting two more soldiers. As Vylkalev and I fired shots that raked the enemy line, the trench filled with German and Japanese soldiers kept firing immense fiery rifle fire that shot multiple more friendlies in the vicious battle, but I fired PPSH shots that nailed five more enemies, then the Russians fired more gunfire that raked and pinned some enemies in the trench as well, shooting numerous enemy soldiers. As I gunned two more soldiers down, the German and Japanese soldiers fired more intense rifle shots that raked and pinned some Russians, so I fired PPSH fire and shot six more enemies as Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers. In the very intensely, fierce fighting, the Germans and Japanese kept firing hails of fiery gunfire which cut numerous Russians to pieces, some bullets ripping limbs off, so in response, I fired PPSH fire that nailed five more enemies as Vylkalev then shot a few other soldiers. Braving on past the enemy shots raining over them, the Russians fired intense rifle fire that nailed multiple enemies, but the Germans and Japanese fired immense gunfire back and shot multiple friendlies in return. I then shot two more soldiers as Vylkalev fired and shot several more enemies, then I fired shots that nailed five more enemies. In the vicious fighting, the Germans and Japanese fired intense gunfire that shot numerous friendlies, but as Vylkalev and I fired cover fire, the Russians fired shots back that raked the enemy trench as I shot two more enemies, then Vylkalev and I fired shots that raked the trench.

We all kept fighting to break this trench line, but eventually, after much hard, fierce fighting, we were getting closer to clearing it away. As we Russians all kept moving through the grasslands, firing intense rifle fire that riddled the enemy trench, raking and pinning enemy soldiers, the Germans and Japanese still kept firing immense gunfire that shot multiple friendlies in fierce fighting. Still, we Russians pushed forward, bravely moving through the gunshots raining over us, with me shooting two soldiers as the Russians kept firing shots that riddled the trench, then Vylkalev shot several more enemies with his PPSH. A midst the incredibly fierce fighting, the Russians fired intense rifle shots that raked and pinned enemies in the trench, then I fired PPSH fire that nailed five more enemies. Still, the Germans and Japanese kept firing shots that riddled friendly positions and soldiers, raking and pinning some Russians. However, I gunned two enemies down as Vylkalev fired cover shots, then the Russians fired shots that nailed multiple enemy soldiers as I fired intense PPSH fire that riddled five more enemies. The Germans and Japanese kept firing intense gunfire which cut multiple friendlies to shreds, but we kept bravely pushing, firing shots that riddled the enemy trench. I fired PPSH fire and shot five more enemies as Vylkalev shot a few more soldiers, then I gunned two more enemies down as the Russians fired shots that riddled numerous remaining enemies in the trench.

"Keep fighting," I shouted, "Eliminate all these savage bastards!"

As we kept fighting, even as some gunshots rained over us, we came close to the trench and fired shots that finally gut the remaining enemy defenders down, finally eliminating this trench line. We could then move on and engage more German and Japanese defenses to find Shirasaki.

"Move up," I ordered, "Find and raze any more of these svoloches you find!"

"Get up into those jungles!" Vylkalev spoke to the men.

We all moved across this terrain and then we entered into a set of bamboo jungle, searching through it for a pathway to the next village. Eventually, as we moved through this bamboo jungle, we came upon a series of enemy defenses in this jungle, defended by more combined forces of German and Japanese infantry... So we moved in to engage them.

"Fight, Comrades," Vylkalev demanded, "Slice them!"

"Crush these svoloches," I said, "Show them the might of the Red Army!"

In the midst of these bamboo jungles, we Russians engaged in a vicious firefight with the German and Japanese soldiers in the jungles. We Russians held positions by bamboo trees and fired intense rifle fire at the enemies before us, all while the Germans and Japanese fired fierce gunfire back from their tree positions as a few enemy machine gun nests fired shots in support for them. From my bamboo position, I fired my PPSH and shot two enemies, then as Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers, I gunned one more enemy down. In the vicious fighting in these bamboo jungles, the Germans and Japanese fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple Russians and riddled friendly tree positions, so I fired PPSH fire that nailed five more enemies, then the Russians fired rifle shots from their tree positions and shot numerous enemies in return. As I shot up a position and then gunned two more soldiers down, the German and Japanese soldiers kept firing intense rifle fire from their tree positions and shooting multiple different friendlies, so I shot two more enemies as Vylkalev gunned a couple soldiers down. The friendly and enemy sides kept firing immense gunfire at each other's bamboo positions, with me firing PPSH fire that shot five more enemies, then as Vylkalev gunned a couple more soldiers down, I shot two more enemies. The Russians fired intense gunfire that riddled multiple different enemies and shot up their positions by bamboo trees, then I shot two more soldiers and shot up another position. However, the Germans and Japanese kept firing gunfire which shot numerous friendlies, then they fired shots that riddled positions. With the Germans and Japanese firing rifle shots that riddled friendly positions, I fired PPSH fire that nailed five more enemies in return.

As we kept fighting the enemy soldiers in the trees, I fired and shot five enemies, but then I dodged a volley from a machine gun. In response, as Vylkalev fired cover, I aimed and shot the German machine gunner blazing at me, then I shot two more soldiers by a couple bamboo trees. With the fighting still raging, from their tree positions and nests the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense gunfire and shooting multiple different friendlies in the fierce skirmish. I then fired and shot five more enemies as the German and Japanese soldiers kept firing rifle shots that raked and pinned friendly soldiers and positions, but Vylkalev fired and shot a few more soldiers. As they braved enemy gunfire raining at them from the trees the Russians kept firing rifle fire that shot multiple enemies in the fierce fighting, then I gunned two more soldiers down. The Germans and Japanese still fired intense gunfire that riddled friendly soldiers and positions, so I shot a couple more enemy positions to pieces, then the Russians kept firing shots that shot up some enemy positions. We had nearly cleared away the enemies here, with me shooting two more soldiers, but then evading shots blazing from a German machine gun. In response, I aimed and then shot the enemy gunner, then the Russians kept firing shots that riddled numerous enemies in vicious fighting. As remaining Germans and Japanese kept firing at us, I shot two more soldiers as Vylkalev gunned a couple more enemies down, then I fired and shot five more enemies, then the Russians fired more gunfire that shot up and eliminated remaining enemy positions and soldiers.

"These positions are finished, Reznov." Vylkalev stated.

"Everyone, keep moving," I ordered, "Fight every last of these svoloches in our way!"

After some hard fighting, we cleared away the German and Japanese defenses and then we moved through the bamboo jungles, moving past the trees. Eventually, we exited these forests and came to some open grasslands, and Vylkalev and I began leading our Russians into this field.

"We should be nearing the last village." Vylkalev spoke.

"Be careful, Mikhail," I warned, "They'll likely be stronger as we get closer."

We all moved onto another field in force, all stubbornly determined to reach the end of these series of villages... And find Shirasaki. As we came upon this new set of grasslands, we found ourselves facing a second trench line filled with both German and Japanese soldiers, determined to work together to fend off anyone who might try to challenge them... Well, with our own determination, we charged forth to engage them.

"Move and ambush their line!" Vylkalev said.

"Eradicate them," I spoke, "Burn every one of them!"

As we charged across the field to engage this trench line, a fierce battle ensued with the line of German and Japanese infantry all fired immense gunfire that shot numerous Russians. As this intensity and fighting increased, with enemy rifle shots raking and pinning friendlies, many Russians took cover by rocks and plants in the field and fired intense cover shots at the enemy trench, letting other friendlies continue the assault. I fired and shot five enemies in the trench, then Vylkalev gunned down several soldiers as well, though the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense rifle fire that shot multiple friendlies in the fierce fighting. In response, I gunned two soldiers down as the Russians fired intense gunfire that shot numerous enemies in the opposing trench, then I kept firing intense shots that nailed five more enemies in the intense fighting. With Vylkalev and the Russians firing cover shots at the trench, the line of Germans and Japanese in the trench fired intense gunfire that riddled multiple friendlies in the vicious fighting, but as I gunned two soldiers down, Vylkalev fired and nailed a few more enemies, then I shot two more soldiers as well. As they braved incoming enemy gunfire raining over them, the Russians fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple enemies, then I fired PPSH fire that riddled five soldiers.

The fighting raged ever intensely as we Russians kept charging and firing rifle fire at the enemy trench which rained immense gunfire over us. I fired and shot five enemies in the trench as the Russians fired rifle fire that shot numerous enemies in the trench, then I kept firing PPSH fire that nailed six more enemies in the hard, vicious fighting. Still, the line of Germans and Japanese kept firing intense hails of gunfire which cut multiple friendlies to pieces, then they kept firing shots that raked and pinned some other Russians. Vylkalev fired and shot several enemies as I fired shots that nailed five more enemies, but the German and Japanese infantry kept firing intense gunfire from the trench line and shot multiple Russians in the vicious fighting. While Vylkalev and I fired cover shots at the enemy trench, the Russians fired immensely fierce gunfire that shot numerous enemies in the defensive line. As the Germans and Japanese kept raining intense gunfire at them, the Russians kept firing intense rifle fire that raked and pinned enemy soldiers and positions. I fired PPSH shots that nailed five more enemies as Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers, but the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense fiery gunfire that shot numerous in the fierce battle. Still, I fired PPSH fire and shot six more enemies as Vylkalev shot several other soldiers.

In the fierce, hard fighting, we Russians moved even closer, firing more rifle shots that greatly diminished the enemy trench of combined German and Japanese troops. However, the enemy soldiers still held on and kept firing shots that riddled more friendlies to try and fend them off... But we just kept pressing on, with just as much determination. I gunned two enemies down as Vylkalev shot a few more soldiers, and then the Russians fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple enemies in the trench before us, then we moved closer. As I fired PPSH fire and shot six more enemies, however, the line of Germans and Japanese fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple friendlies. I shot two soldiers down as Vylkalev fired and nailed several enemies, then I fired and riddled the trench. As the Germans and Japanese kept firing rifle shots that raked and pinned friendly soldiers and positions, Vylkalev and I fired cover while the Russians fired intense rifle that riddled numerous enemies in the trench. We moved up closer to the trench, with me firing shots that nailed five enemies, then the Russians fired shots that riddled the trench, causing it to diminish, then I shot two more soldiers.

"Raze all these savage animals!" I shouted.

Enemy gunshots still rained over us, but we pressed on, with Vylkalev and I firing intense PPSH fire that riddled multiple enemies. As the Russians fired cover shots that shot up the trench, we went up and fired shots that eliminated the remaining defenders, and finished off this trench line.

"Keep moving, Comrades," I spoke, "Keep fighting to the village!"

With that over, we all moved across this field and entered into yet another set of bamboo jungle. We all moved very cautiously past these different trees, searching for any ambushes by enemy troops. Luckily, we didn't face any sudden attacks, but we did come across another series of German and Japanese infantry and positions here in the jungles... Since they were in the way, we moved in to fight them.

"Enemy positions up ahead!" Vylkalev warned.

"Raze these savage dogs," I shouted, "Eliminate them!"

We engaged this set of German machine guns, while fighting the German and Japanese riflemen supporting them from the bamboo trees. Taking position by trees in this bamboo jungle, the Russians fired intense gunfire at the enemy positions while the Germans and Japanese fired hails of fiery rifle fire that riddled friendly positions, then the enemy machine guns blazed tense support. With the furious fighting raging in this skirmish, I gunned two enemies down and then shot up a position, while Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers. However, the Germans and Japanese fired intense gunfire back and shot numerous Russians, then the German and Japanese soldiers kept firing fiery rifle fire that riddled friendly positions. In response, I fired and shot five more enemies, then the Russians fired gunfire back and shot up different enemy positions. As I gunned down another soldier, a German machine blazed at me, so as Vylkalev fired cover, I aimed and shot the German gunner down, and fighting still raged. The Germans and Japanese kept firing intense rifle fire that shot multiple Russians in the fierce fighting, so as I gunned two soldiers down, the Russians fired fiery gunfire back and shot numerous enemies and raked their tree positions. Vylkalev gunned a couple more soldiers down as I shot two more soldiers and then shot up a position, then as the two sides kept firing fiercely at each other, I fired and shot five more enemies in the bamboo trees.

A midst the vicious skirmish raging in these bamboo jungles, I fired and shot five more enemies as the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense hails of fiery rifle fire that shot numerous Russians, but as I gunned two soldiers down and Vylkalev shot a few other enemies, the Russians fired intense gunfire back and shot multiple enemies in return. A German machine gun blazed at us, so as Vylkalev fired cover, I aimed and then shot the gunner down, then I shot two more soldiers. As the Russians kept firing shots that raked the enemy defenses, I fired and shot five more enemies in the trees, then Vylkalev gunned a couple soldiers down as I shot up a couple more positions. However, the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense rifle fire that shot multiple Russians, then they kept firing shots that riddled friendly positions. Still, while I gunned another enemy down, Vylkalev then shot a few more enemies, then I fired and nailed two other soldiers by a couple bamboo trees. The Germans and Japanese kept firing shots that riddled friendly positions, so I fired and shot five more enemies. However, a German machine gun fired at me, so I took cover, then aimed and shot the gunner. With Vylkalev and I firing cover shots, as the remaining Germans and Japanese kept firing intense gunfire to fend off Russians soldiers, the Russians fired intense gunfire back and shot numerous remaining enemies and then kept shooting up their positions.

"Keep fighting," I shouted, "Raise Hell on these animals!"

After much more fierce fighting, we fired shots until we eliminated the last German and Japanese defenses here in this bamboo jungle, then we moved on. With Vylkalev and I at the lead, the Russians followed us as we moved through the bamboo trees and then we exited the jungle itself and entered onto a new set of grasslands... And as we looked in the distance, we saw the last village in our sights.

"There's the village, Reznov." Vylkalev noted.

"Yes, Mikhail," I said, "And if Erich is correct, Shirasaki will still be there."

With the last village in our sights in the distance, we moved forward across the field towards this target, and rushing the third and final trench line. With us charging at this last defensive line, both the friendly and enemy forces were now firing at each other, aiming to eliminate the other.

"Drive these savage rats to Hell!" I shouted.

A fierce battle raged as we charged this third trench line, and the German and Japanese infantry lining it firing fiery gunfire that raked friendly troops, pinning some of them. We Russians kept fighting this trench, charging and firing intense rifle shots that riddled the enemy trench, but enemy soldiers kept firing gunfire that cut numerous friendlies down in fierce fighting. In response, I fired and shot five enemies while Vylkalev gunned several soldiers down as well, then we kept charging. Vylkalev and I fired cover shots at the enemy trench, and even while enemy gunshots blazed towards them, the Russians fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple enemies, then fired cover shots that raked the trench. However, as this kept up, the line of German and Japanese soldiers kept firing intense gunfire that shot multiple friendlies in the fierce fighting. However, as the enemy trench line fired more gunfire that raked and pinned friendly soldiers, I fired PPSH fire that nailed six enemies, then the Russians fired rifle shots that riddled the enemy trench.

We all kept fighting fiercely and firing rifle fire at the enemy trench line, raking the enemy line, but the Germans and Japanese kept firing rifle shots that riddled friendly soldiers and positions. In response, I shot two enemies as Vylkalev aimed and gunned a few other soldiers down, then I fired shots that nailed five more enemies. The Russians fired intense gunfire that shot numerous enemies, then we charged to get closer, with me shooting two soldiers, but the German and Japanese line kept firing rifle shots that riddled multiple friendlies as well. Despite this, we kept braving the enemy shots and moving in, with Vylkalev shooting a few solders as I fired PPSH fire and nailed five more enemies, then the Russians fired gunfire that shot several enemies in the trench. As I gunned two soldiers down, Vylkalev fired and nailed a few more enemies, then I shot two other soldiers.

In the fierce fighting, we kept firing shots that riddled the enemy trench, diminishing their defenses. A midst the vicious battle, Vylkalev and I kept firing fiery cover fire that raked the trench and shot up some soldiers, then the Russians fired intense rifle fire that furiously raked this trench, letting us move even closer to eliminate it. Still holding on, the Germans and Japanese fired more gunfire that shot some friendlies to pieces, some bullets shredding off limbs, but as I fired and shot five more enemies and Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down, the Russians fired hails of immense gunfire that riddled multiple enemies and shot up their trench. I fired and shot five more enemies, but the Germans and Japanese kept firing shots that fended some Russians off. In response, Vylkalev and I fired cover shots and then the Russians fired furious rifle fire that shot numerous enemies in the trench. Vylkalev then shot several more soldiers as I fired PPSH fire which nailed six enemies... Then we moved right up to the trench itself.

"Strike the trench, Comrades," Vylkalev ordered, "Eradicate them!"

"Raze and burn all these animals!" I demanded furiously.

After much hard, fierce fighting, we jut nearly diminished this last trench. We braved enemy shots and made our way up, and with Russian soldiers firing cover shots, Vylkalev and I fired PPSH fire that shot and eliminated the numerous remaining enemies, finally finishing this final trench... Now, there was nothing in our way between here and the village itself.

We all moved across the fields until we came upon the final village, then we held positions at the perimeter, for we saw some German soldiers of the German Asien Korps, with many Chinese civilians... They were actually being very friendly towards them, with the German soldiers handing food and supplies to the Chinese civilians, and even escorting them to safety.

"...It appears Chen was right about them." Vylkalev spoke.

"This won't redeem the Nazis of their villainy," I remarked, "Wait until they're gone, then we move into the village."

We kept holding at the perimeter as the Chinese civilians and the German soldiers helping them moved past, and once they were all gone, we all aimed at the village. Immediately, the Russians fired intense cover fire at the village, then Vylkalev and I lead the Russians in moving from the perimeter and striking the village, and seek out Shirasaki.

"Move into the village!" Vylkalev ordered.

Reaching the village itself, we found it filled and defended by even more German and Japanese soldiers, working together to hold this village. While most of the German soldiers I saw wielded FG 42 guns and STG 44 rifles, I also saw some Germans with captured PPSH guns or Type 99 machine guns from their Japanese allies... But this didn't matter, for we would fight them anyways.

"Fight, Comrades," I shouted, "Clear the village!"

Moving into the village, we Russians engaged in vicious fighting with the Germans and Japanese defending this villa, fighting and firing intense gunfire at enemies firing at us from the houses and windows. German and Japanese soldiers fired fiery rifle fire from their positions in the villa and shot multiple friendlies in the fierce battle, so I gunned two enemies down in a house as Vylkalev shot a few more enemies as well. From their positions on these village paths, the Russians fired more immense gunfire that shot numerous enemies in the village as I fired shots that nailed five more enemies, but in the vicious battle, the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense hails of fiery rifle fire that shot multiple more Russians in this fierce fighting in the village. Still, while the Germans and Japanese kept firing gunfire that raked and pinned friendly soldiers and positions, I gunned two more soldiers down in a house, then Vylkalev shot a few more enemies as the Russians fired more intense gunfire that riddled multiple enemies. As this fierce fighting went on here in this village, I fired PPSH fire and shot five more enemies, then as the Russians kept firing shots that raked enemy positions, I fired shots that nailed five more enemies. Still, while I shot two more soldiers in a house, the Germans and Japanese fired more fiery gunfire that riddled numerous friendlies, but as Vylkalev fired cover shots, I aimed and gunned two more enemies down in a house.

We kept fighting and firing shots at enemies in houses and on village paths, then we moved up through the village to fight more enemy defenses. I fired PPSH fire and shot six more enemies in this fierce battle for the village, while Vylkalev shot several other soldiers, then the Russians fired gunfire that riddled multiple enemies. As enemy soldiers rained gunshots at us from the houses, I gunned two soldiers down in a house as the Russians fired cover shots that raked enemy positions, then I fired shots that riddled five more enemies in a couple houses. However, the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense gunfire that cut multiple friendlies to pieces, then still fired shots that raked some friendly positions. In response, I gunned two more enemies down in a house as Vylkalev shot a few more soldiers, then I shot two more soldiers in a different house. With this fierce battle raging, I kept firing PPSH fire that raked positions and shot five more enemies in a couple houses, then we Russians moved up, braving past enemy gunshots blazing at us. However, the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense gunfire that shot numerous Russians, then kept firing rifle fire that raked friendly positions. I fired PPSH fire that nailed five enemies, then as the Russians fired intense cover shots at enemies, I gunned two more soldiers down in a house.

Moving through the village, we were just about halfway there, but enemy defenses kept holding and firing shots to fend us off. In response, I shot two more soldiers in a house, then Vylkalev shot a few more enemies, all while the Russians kept firing immense gunfire that riddled enemy positions and shot numerous enemies. Still, as I fired and shot five more enemies, the Germans and Japanese fired intense gunfire back that shot multiple Russians in the vicious battle, then they kept firing shots that riddled friendly positions, so I fired intense shots that riddled six enemies in a few different houses. Vylkalev then fired and shot several enemies, and while enemy gunfire rained at them, the Russians kept firing rifle shots that nailed multiple different enemies. Moving up through the villa, I gunned two more soldiers down in a house, then Vylkalev shot a few more enemies, but the Germans and Japanese kept firing hails of intense rifle fire that shot numerous friendlies in the fierce fighting. In response, I gunned two more soldiers down in a house, but the Germans and Japanese still fired fiery gunfire that shot multiple more Russians, so I fired shots that nailed five more enemies. As Vylkalev fired cover shots, the Russians fired their rifles and shot up several enemy positions, then I gunned two more soldiers down in a house.

We nearly reached the end of the village, but enemy defenses still remained, with German and Japanese soldiers still firing intense gunfire that raked and pinned friendlies here in this village. But we kept fighting with stern drive to capture this village, with me shooting two more soldiers in a house, then Vylkalev shot a few more soldiers as I fired and nailed five more enemies. As enemy gunshots kept raining at us, Vylkalev and I fired tense cover shots, then the Russians fired more intense gunfire that shot multiple enemies and riddled some of their positions to pieces, then I gunned two more soldiers down in a house. The Germans and Japanese kept firing gunfire that riddled friendly soldiers and positions in fierce fighting, so I fired PPSH shots that nailed five more enemies, then Vylkalev fired shots that gunned several more enemies down. This fierce battle raged as I fired PPSH fire which nailed five more enemies, then the Russians fired immense gunfire that shot numerous enemy soldiers and shot up remaining positions. I gunned two more soldiers down in a house as Vylkalev fired and nailed a few other enemies, then I shot two more enemies in a house.

"Chyort... Keep fighting, Comrades," I shouted out, firing my PPSH, "Kill all of these bastards!"

With fiery enemy gunfire raining at s, we Russians kept fighting up the streets, firing intense gunfire at enemies in the streets and buildings. After much more fierce fighting, we shot remaining enemies in the way and reached the end of the village.

"Reznov," Vykalev said, "Check the building at the right."

Immediately, I went into the building at the right... And that's when a German soldier charged at me with his rifle. Luckily, I seized hold of the soldier's rifle as well, then the German and I wrestled fiercely and hard over the rifle. We kept wrestling and fighting viciously for the rifle, and after a hard struggle, we swiped the gun out of the other's hands. The enemy then punched my stomach, then tried to throw his right fist, but I blocked it and grabbed his wrist with my hand. He pulled out a knife with his other hand, but I grabbed his other hand with my other hand, then we kept wrestling fiercely, struggling over the knife. After much hard fighting, we wrestled each other hard, and then I punched the enemy in the stomach.

As we kept fighting, I noticed a grenade on his back pack, so I reached and pulled the pin. As he became frantic, I kicked him into the other room, where his own grenade took him out... With my opponent finished, I went out of the house and regrouped with Vylkalev.

We the came on the final path in the village, seeing a building that was being suspiciously guarded, looking to be the enemy command itself, likely where we'll find Shirasaki... But we found this command building defended by strong SS Korps soldiers, with an all black wearing, MG-34 wielding gunner with them... But even more unfortunate, they had a King Tiger tank with them to guard the command.

"Chyort," I warned, "King Tiger!"

"Engage them," Vylkalev ordered, "Search for a Panzershreck!"

Immediately, we fired at the Korps soldiers on this path, with Vylkalev and I firing cover shots, but the Korps soldiers fired intense, powerful shots back that furiously cut numerous friendlies down, and forcing the rest of us to cover. As the Korps soldiers rained tense shots at us, I fired and shot one soldier down, but others blazed at me, driving me back to cover. In response, as Vylkalev fired cover, I shot two more Korps soldiers firing at me, then I evaded shots and gunned another soldier down. However, they kept firing gunfire that furiously riddled our cover pieces, and drove me to another point to get behind, the bullets chasing me there. As I kept firing intense shots that nailed two more Korps soldiers, another German blazed at me, so as I took cover, I aimed and shot that enemy down. The Korps soldiers kept firing immense shots that riddled friendlies and their positions to pieces, but I gunned another soldier down as Vylkalev kept firing cover, then as I evaded shots, I fired PPSH fire that riddled two more Korps soldiers.

We kept on fighting, with the Russians firing cover shots at enemies, but the Korps soldiers fired intense fire back that shot multiple friendlies to shreds, with the enemy gunner blazing fiery support. I fired and shot two enemies blazing at me, then I fired and shot at the gunner, but he just blazed back, nearly gunning me down if I hadn't reached cover fast enough. A Korps soldier rushed at me with a bayonet, shouting "Heil Hitler!" as he charged, but I aimed and shot him down. With Vylkalev and the Russians firing cover shots, I fired continuously fierce PPSH fire that riddled four more Korps soldiers firing at us, but I was driven to cover by enemy gunfire again. The gunner kept blazing fiercely, so I kept firing at him, dodging his shots as best I could... But eventually, as we kept shooting at each other, I finally gunned him down just as he shot up my cover. A few other Korps soldiers fired at me, but with Vylkalev firing cover, I fired and shot two more enemies in return, and the fierce skirmish held on.

The King Tiger tank still loomed over us, blazing shells that blasted several Russians to bloody bits... I looked around, trying to find a solution, and finding a Panzerschreck laying against a building wall. I dodged a volley and then rushed over to grab the launcher, aim and shoot off a shell that struck the front of the tank, and it barely put in a dent. I reloaded, but another Korps soldier charged at me with his bayonet, so I gunned him down with my PPSH, then I just barely made it away as the tank fired a shell near me. I just remembered it unwise to attack the front, as the sides and back were the weaker points, so just as I dodged another shell blasting near me, I aimed and shot off a rocket that damaged the tank by the side. It worked, but it moved closer to me, spraying the terrifying flamethrower on top of its head. Luckily, I dodged the flames sprayed at me from the tank, aimed and fired a rocket that finally blew apart the tank. A few remaining Korps soldiers fired at us, so I aimed and gunned one Korps soldier down, but the other fired at me, but Vylkalev fired cover shots, allowing me to fire and shoot the remaining Korps soldiers... They were finished.

"That should be their command," Vylkalev said, "Move in, quietly."

Vylkalev and I went over to the guarded command building and peered inside, seeing no one, except burning papers, likely destroying their own records. I then moved up the stairs and sought out where Shirasaki could be, seeing a door leading to the building's command room, so I went up to the door.

Once I was next to the command room, I peered in, seeing just who I wanted to see... I finally saw Shirasaki himself, speaking on a radio. As I listened in, I closely heard the man he was talking too, his colleague... I immediately recognized his voice... Hershing... He was here.

"Anata wa hai,-kin no shukka ga hinan shite imasu ka (You have evacuated the shipment of gold, yes)?" Hershing spoke over the radio in Japanese.

"Hai, Herr Hershing (Yes, Herr Hershing)," Shirasaki replied, "Watashi wa sore no hotondo o motte, sore wa anata no basho ni mukatte imasu... Shikashi, sekigun wa, karera no kōgeki o shimashita (I got most of it out, and it's heading to your location... But the Red Army has made their attack)."

"Watashi wa anata ga Kyōto ni modoru tame ni jogen shimasu (I advise you to return to Kyoto)," Hershing responded, "Anata ga soko ni subete o idō suru to, watashi wa auto... Koko ni nokorimasu yo (I'll remain here as you move everything there... Out)."

As Shirasaki finished his conversation with Hershing, I wielded my gun and approached him. A German Korps soldier in the room fired at me, but I dodged it and then fired shots back, gunning the soldier down. Unsheathing his Katana, Shirasaki rushed, bringing his sword down on me, but I charged and blocked the blade with my gun. As we struggled, I pushed the blade away and then kicked him down.

Vylkaev then entered the room and aimed at Shirasaki... However, the Japanese officer drew out his Nambu pistol and aimed... But suddenly, a bullet flew in from a window and shot the gun right out of his hand. I looked out the window and, from a short distance, I saw the shot was fired by Mei Lin and her Kar 98k sniper rifle, with Erich and Mischa with her.

With Shirasaki on his knees, I took hold of the officer's Katana and then approached him, bringing the blade to his neck as we glared at each other.

"...I _will_ end your life," I told him, "...But you will tell me where your colleague is first... Where is Hershing?"

"I'll never tell you where he is," Shirasaki responded, "Hershing is an honorable ally, and he will make Germany and Japan great and strong... We will work together, make ourselves much stronger, then when the time comes, we both will reclaim our empires."

"That won't ever happen," I responded, "It never will!"

"What we build will keep the Soviets and the Americans at bay, then we will carve Manchukuo out as a base for the Germans and the Japanese, then we will thrive, and rise again... We will fight to the end, that is our duties as soldiers!"

"You are _not_ a soldier, you're a murderer, a butcher!" I shouted in response.

"And yet, you plan to execute me," Shirasaki, "Wouldn't that make you a butcher as well, what difference does it make?"

"No it doesn't, for there is most definitely a difference," I responded with stern clarity, "...You and all of your Imperial Japanese Army are brutal, genocidal murderers, killing to conquer and exterminate the innocent... But my fellow soldiers and I, we're heroes, bravely fighting to rid you murderers and criminals from these lands, to save these people that you harm, and to give you all the richly harsh punishment you so rightly deserve."

"You dare insult the honor of the Imperial Army." Shirasaki growled.

"You all have _no_ honor," I replied angrily, "...You murder the innocent, that is a crime, and that's what you are... But what we are, we fight to silence you criminals as harshly as we can, that... That is justice... It is that simple."

I drew out my Model 27 pistol, and then used the Katana to slit Shirasaki's throat. As he grasped his throat, choking on the blood gushing from the cut, I aimed the pistol at his head, pulling the trigger and shooting him down with a powerful round. As this happened, Vylkalev looked on the table, finding a few scraps of intel... As I saw it, it looked like a map.

"He seems to have burnt most of his records," Vylkalev said, "I believe this map leads to Hershing."

"...Shirasaki is dead," I spoke, "Let's get out of here."

We both came out of the house and continued leading all the Russians out of the village, and once we came out of the settlement, Lin and Erich rushed in to join us with Mischa, then we headed for the grasslands to reunite with more Russian soldiers.

"There's an entire battlefield up ahead," Erich spoke, "Be careful."

Once exiting the village, we soon came upon a large grass covered field, where more Russian troops were lined along a mound firing fierce rifle fire at enemy positions in the field before us... As my men and I came to this mound and looked at this field, I saw that there were countless different German and Japanese infantry positions, trenches and nests dispersed all over the field, with countless German and Japanese riflemen working together and fighting at each other's side to defend them, firing hails of gunfire back at the Russians.

"We need to clear this field," Vylkalev said, "Destroy all their positions!"

"You men, move in a pincer to the right and provide cover," I ordered, "The rest of you are with me, let's raze these svoloches!"

Immediately, we emerged from the mound onto the field to engage the enemy defenses, and as some Russians moved along the right to give cover, Vylkalev and I lead the men directly through the field, while Erich and Lin gave cover from behind.

"Comrades" I shouted, "Charge!"

A series of vicious battles ensued as we Russians assaulted the enemy defenses spread across the field, firing intense gunfire at the enemies, while in response, the defenses of German and Japanese infantry fired hails of intense rifle fire back to fend us off. Braving the enemy shots, I fired fiery PPSH fire and shot six enemies and then fired shots that riddled a few positions, but in the vicious fighting, the Germans and Japanese fired intense gunfire and shot numerous Russians in return. As the Germans and Japanese kept firing rifle shots that raked and pinned some friendlies, I shot up a couple more positions, then as Vylkalev shot a few soldiers, I fired shots that nailed five more enemies, then the Russians fired intense gunfire that nailed multiple enemies and shot up several positions in the fierce fighting, then I shot up a small trench. Erich and Lin kept firing cover from behind that shot several enemies, but the Germans and Japanese fired fierce gunfire that riddled friendly soldiers and positions. In response, I fired and shot five more enemies as Vylkalev gunned a couple soldiers down, but the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense rifle fire which shot numerous friendlies in vicious fighting. Vylkalev and I fired PPSH fire that shot multiple enemies, then Erich and Lin fired cover shots that nailed a few soldiers.

I shot up another few positions as Erich and Lin fire cover shots, but the Germans and Japanese still fired hails of fiery rifle fire that riddled numerous different friendlies, and shot up their positions. In response I fired and shot six more enemies, then the Russians fired gunfire that nailed multiple enemies in the fierce fighting. However, the Germans and Japanese kept firing shots that riddled friendly positions, so I shot up another position and then fired shots that riddled a trench, then the Russians fired shots back that raked and pinned enemy soldiers and positions. We moved further up the field, fighting and firing at different enemy defenses, with me firing shots that riddled five more enemies, then I shot up another position as Vylkalev shot a few more soldiers, then I shot up a couple other positions as Vylkalev gunned a couple more enemies down as well. In the vicious fighting, the German and Japanese infantry kept firing intense rifle fire and shot numerous friendlies, but while I shot up a trench, the Russians fired intense gunfire that shot multiple enemies. I fired PPSH fire which shot five enemies, but the Germans and Japanese kept firing gunfire that riddled friendly positions.

As I kept firing intense gunfire that shot up several more positions while raining enemy gunshots raining over me Vylkalev fired cover, and then I shot up a trench. The Germans and Japanese kept firing intense fiery gunfire that shot numerous Russians, so I fired shots that nailed five more enemies, then as Vylkalev gunned a couple enemies down, I shot up another position. Erich and Lin kept firing cover shots from behind and shooting several more enemies, while I fired shots that riddled a couple positions, then the Russians fired more gunfire that nailed multiple enemies and shot up their defenses as I shot up another position. With the Russians firing gunfire that raked the enemy defenses, I fired PPSH fire that nailed six more enemies, but the Germans and Japanese kept firing intense rifle fire that shot multiple friendlies, then they kept firing shots that riddled friendly soldiers and positions. I shot up another trench and then fired shots that riddled a few positions, then Vylkalev gunned down a couple other soldiers. I fired PPSH fire which shot six more enemies as Vylkalev fired and nailed a few other soldiers, then the Russians fired more fierce gunfire that shot numerous enemies... After much hard, vicious fighting, we had cleared away most enemy defenses in this field, so we kept fighting to eliminate the rest.

Enemy defenses still remained, and they kept firing shots that tried to fend us all off. However, with the Russians at the right side firing fierce cover that raked the enemy defenses, we still moved forward. The Germans and Japanese kept firing intense rifle fire that shot multiple Russians, then they kept firing and shooting up different friendly positions. In response, I fired shots that nailed five enemies, then I shot up a few positions as Vylkalev shot several more soldiers in the fierce battle. With enemy gunshots raining over them, the Russians fired intense gunfire that riddled multiple enemies, then I shot up a trench. With the enemy defenses diminishing severely, we Russians kept fighting the remaining enemies, braving enemy gunshots still blazing at us. Eventually, with Vylkalev firing cover, I fired and shot five enemies as the Russians fired furious rifle shots that riddled numerous enemies and shot up their positions, then I shot up a few remaining nests, eliminating them... Soon, we had just nearly cleared the field.

"Das'vidanya, svoloch!" I stated, furiously.

"We've nearly cleared the field!" Vylkalev said, "Keep it up!

We kept fighting hard across the field, firing shots that eliminated the last of the enemy positions... Soon enough, we came to the end of the field, and that's where we encountered some Korps SS soldiers, both regulars and two gunners, intending to make a last stand.

"Shit!" a Russian soldier said.

The Korps soldiers fired hails of shots that cut numerous friendlies down and drove the rest of them to cover. The Korps soldiers kept raining fierce gunfire over us as Vylkalev and I got to cover, then as the other Russians fired cover shots, Vylkalev and I fired intense PPSH fire back. In a tense firefight, I dodged shots and then fired, gunning two Korps soldiers down, then I took cover and evaded some shots as I aimed and shot another soldier. The Korps soldiers kept firing, with the two gunners blazing support. I fired at one of the gunners, but he fired back and nearly gunned me down, so as Vylkalev fired cover, I fired shots that nailed two more Korps soldiers firing at me. I dodged another volley,and then aimed and shot another Korps soldier, then as Vylkalev fired cover, another Korps soldier fired at me, so I aimed and shot him in return, then fired on the gunners.

With the gunners still firing, I kept firing shots at one of them. Eventually, I shot that gunner down, but then went to cover when the other one fired back. The Korps soldiers kept firing shots that ripped several Russians to shreds, so I kept firing shots that gunned down two of the Korps soldiers firing at me, then as Vylkalev fired cover, I aimed and shot another soldier. However, the remaining gunner fired at me, so I took cover and then fired shots back. Eventually, the last gunner ran out of ammo, but he then threw down his MG 34, drew out his sword at rushed me. I dodged a swing from his blade, then I blocked another swing with my gun. After pushing him back, I aimed and finally shot him, riddling him down, and finishing off the last of the Korps soldiers... We finally cleared the field.

"Chyort, Tiger!" Vylkalev warned.

...Indeed, before we could celebrate yet, a fearsome King Tiger roared, just as fierce as the wild cat where the armor bears its name. The enemy tank fired several shells at us... But just as the danger loomed over us, seeking to finish us, a great relief came in at the right in the form of a few T-34 tanks, who fired shells at the Tiger. The enemy Tiger fired back desperately, destroying one friendly tank, but the T-34s kept blazing shells until they finally blasted the enemy tank to rubble, finishing off the last of the enemies here... We had finally won here.

The Russians all cheered for our victory, with Erich and Lin coming over and resting by one of the T-34s. As this celebration went on, Vylkalev and I walked over towards a more isolated mound overlooking a field, then we gazed at the field before us, then took a look at the rather lovely sight of the sunset in the distance, its rays shimmering in the sky as the sun took its time to rest... It was gorgeous, actually, and we now had good reason to rest, for Shirasaki was gone now... But from what I just found out, I'm still not done fighting.

"The Red Army will crush the Japanese Army, and their wretched country will fall," Vylkalev said, then turning to me, "...Whenever Japan finally surrenders, our war will not be over yet, Viktor... Not until Hershing is silenced."


	33. M-16: Victorious Vengeance

_...This was it... Our final mission in this war... The Japanese have surrendered, finally, but there still remains one last enemy to contend with... Hershing... This time, he will die, and whatever he is working so hard far, will be cast down into ruins... The Reich will finally die with them, just as it had in Berlin..._

 **'Victorious Vengeance'**

 **Manchuria, China**

 **August 25, 1945**

 **Cpt. Viktor Reznov**

 **2nd Red Banner Army**

...I looked over the landscape, leading to where we would find Hershing. We traveled across this land, following the map we obtained and searched for Hershing with the greatest of secrecy and care... And we had nearly found it.

We discovered Hershing and his Asien Korps to be operating in an abandoned Manchurian castle, just around here... So I went over to Vylkalev to look over the map once again.

We both observed our directions, pointing out the location of this castle, then we got our guns prepared, with me wielding my PPSH while slinging a scoped Mosin rifle over my back.

"Now, Hershing will burn." Vylkalev said as he readied his PPSH.

The troops with us all got ready to move out. I then turned over towards Erich and Mei Lin, who were standing just near us. I spoke to them, "You two move ahead, infiltrate that castle." With that, Mei Lin and Erich started to move out, moving through a secret pathway to reach the castle.

I then turned back towards Vylkalev, who was looking a bit eager for this operation... I still wanted to know why, why was he himself so invested in the man, "Why have you been so interested in him," I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Why do you yourself want to find him."

"...This village," Vylkalev spoke solemnly, "I saw him burning, torturing, and murdering villagers, participating with the rest of his men... My soldiers and I tried to stop him, but they only became wounded... I just got them to Stalingrad, but... They died anyways."

"...The Nazis and their Reich will be crushed by the Red Army," I said reassuringly, even proudly, "...And Hershing will die by our hands, Mikhail."

"...I'll fix my mistake, Viktor," Vylkalev said, "You've proven to be an excellent leader, I'm honored to serve."

We both held our PPSH guns and then looked to the great many Russian troops with us, ordering them forward as we both lead them across this landscape to the castle of Hershing and his Korps.

The Russians, Vylkalev and I moved across the grasslands and soon came towards this bamboo jungle, where we saw to be a safer shortcut to the castle and gain better surprise on the enemy... So, we lead the Russians into these bamboo jungles.

"Be careful, everyone." Vylkalev spoke.

Vylkalev and I moved very carefully through these bamboo jungles with the rest of the Russian soldiers, readying our guns as we looked around for any German ambushes that might occur here. As we kept moving, I ordered the men to hold positions by the bamboo trees as Vylkalev and I looked at the bamboo trees just a short distance away from us... And as I looked closer, I saw that there were German soldiers positioned in those bamboo trees, and just as we started to warn the others, the German soldiers fired their guns at us in a fierce ambush.

"German ambush!" Vylkalev warned.

"Fight, Comrades," I ordered, "Fire on these svoloches!"

A fierce skirmish ensued in these bamboo jungles as the Germans fired intense rifle fire from their tree positions and shot up multiple friendlies and raked their positions. However, Vylkalev and I fired cover shots so that the Russians by our tree positions can fire gunfire that raked the enemy positions back. The two sides kept firing their guns at each other and raking the other's positions, with me shooting two soldiers by a tree as Vylkalev gunned a few other enemies down, then I fired shots that riddled five more enemies. The Germans fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple Russians and shot up some friendly tree positions, so I gunned two more soldiers down, then the Russians fired hails of gunfire that nailed some enemies as I shot another soldier, then Vylkalev gunned a couple other enemies down. In the fierce fighting, as the Germans kept firing rifle fire that riddled friendly positions, the Russians fired intense gunfire that shot more Germans and shot up several positions. I fired PPSH fire and shot five more Germans, but the Germans fired more gunfire that shot numerous friendlies, then they kept firing shots that riddled friendly positions. In response, I shot two more soldiers, then as Vylkalev fired cover, I fired and shot up several different enemy tree positions.

We Russians kept firing shots from our tree positions and shooting whatever opposition we could see, while the Germans fired intense rifle fire from their tree positions and shot up friendly soldiers and positions. I shot two more enemies as Vylkalev gunned a couple other soldiers down, then I aimed and shot another soldier before dodging some bullets. From their tree positions, the Germans fired intense rifle fire which shot multiple Russians, then they fired rifle shots that riddled friendly positions and soldiers. In response, I fired and shot five enemies as Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers, then I gunned two more Germans down. The Russians fired fiery gunfire that shot numerous enemies as I fired shots that nailed five more enemies, but the Germans fired gunfire that riddled more different friendly positions and soldiers. I shot two more soldiers as Vylkalev gunned down a couple soldier, and though the Germans fired intense gunfire that nailed multiple friendlies, the Russians kept firing shots that raked and pinned enemy positions. As a German soldier shot a couple friendlies, Vylkalev threw a grenade at him, but the German picked it up and threw it back at us. Vylkalev and I just barely escaped the blast, then the two of us kept firing PPSH fire at German soldiers and positions in the jungle.

The battle in this jungle kept raging as we kept fighting the German soldiers in these bamboo trees. The Germans fired more immense gunfire that riddled numerous friendlies and shot up their tree positions, so I fired and shot five enemies as Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers. The Russians fired shots back that raked enemies by the trees, then I shot up several positions, but the Germans fired immense gunfire that riddled friendly positions by our trees. In response, I fired shots that nailed five more enemies, then the Russians fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple Germans, then kept firing shots that raked the enemy positions. Fierce fighting still raged heavily as our two sides kept firing at one another, with me shooting up several more tree positions, but the Germans kept firing intense gunfire that riddled friendly positions. In response, Vylkalev shot a few more enemies, then I fired PPSH fire that shot six more enemies, all while the Russians fired intense rifle fire that shot numerous more remaining enemies... Eventually, we kept fighting until we shot up the last of the enemies in this jungle, then we could move up.

"Move into the fields," I ordered, "Find and eliminate the Germans!"

"Be careful for any ambushes, Comrades!" Vylkalev warned.

Immediately, the men all followed us as we came out of these bamboo jungles and emerged onto the fields themselves. As we moved across this field, however, we eventually found a firm enemy trench line, filled with German rifleman lining and filling the trench, just waiting to stop anyone coming towards them.

"Sheisse, Russkis (Shit, Russkis)," a German soldier said, "kämpfen, diese Bastarde (Fight these bastards)!"

With that, the line of German riflemen all fired their guns, firing to shoot us all to shreds. A vicious battle ensued as Vylkalev and I lead the Russian infantry in assaulting this enemy trench line.

"Chyort," I said, "Raze these bastards to Hell!

The German trench line fired intense hails of gunfire that riddled numerous Russians as we charged across this field. Braving this intensity, we kept charging this field, but the German kept firing rifle shots which cut multiple friendlies to shreds, then they fired shots that raked and pinned other friendly soldiers and positions. Reaching a foxhole, I fired and shot five enemies, then Vylkalev gunned a couple other soldiers down as I shot two more Germans. The German line kept raining fiery gunfire over us, so Vylkalev and I fired cover shots as the Russians fired intense rifle fire that riddled the trench and shot multiple enemies. Still, as I kept firing PPSH fire that nailed five more enemies, the line of Germans kept firing intense gunfire that riddled more Russians in the vicious battle. I shot two enemies as Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down, then I fired and nailed two more Germans. As this went on, the Germans kept firing rifle fire which shot multiple Russians. In response, Vylkalev and I fired cover shots that raked the trench, then the Russians fired immense gunfire that shot numerous more enemies in the trench before us. The Germans kept firing intense shots that raked friendly positions, so I gunned down another soldier as Vylkalev fired cover shots, then I fired and shot two more enemies.

The trench of Germans kept firing and raining heavy shots over us, keeping many of the men pinned. I gunned another soldier down, then Vylkalev shot a couple more enemies, but the Germans kept firing shots the raked friendly positions. In the fierce fighting, I fired PPSH fire that shot five more enemies in the trench, then as the Russians fired tense cover shots, Vylkalev gunned down a couple other soldiers. The Germans kept firing immense gunfire that cut numerous friendlies to pieces, so I shot two more soldiers in the trench. After fierce fighting, the Russians fired shots that riddled multiple enemies, then I gunned another soldier down as Vylkalev shot a few more Germans, then I shot two other soldiers. The Germans kept firing shots that raked and pinned friendly soldiers and positions, so I fired intense shots that nailed five more enemies, while the Russians fired shots back that raked the enemy trench. I gunned two more soldiers down as Vylkalev fired cover shots, then we got even closer to the enemy line, nearly clearing it out. Eventually as we braved the enemy shots, we got close enough to clear the trench out, so the Russians fired intense gunfire that shot numerous enemies in the trench, then I fired shots that nailed five more remaining enemies here in this first trench line.

"Burn them, Comrades," I said, "Kill every one of them!"

After fierce, intense fighting, with us pushing past the enemy gunshots and then firing our rifles back to shoot whoever dared remained to oppose us, we finally eliminated this first defensive trench line, and now we could move on to whatever else stood in our way to the castle.

"Move it, men," Vylkalev said, "Move up!"

"Keep on this pathway, Comrades," I said, "We'll find that castle!"

We moved across these pathways, eventually entering a grassy field filled with different bamboo trees, plants and rocks all spread over. Yet, we kept moving through all of it, and as we did, we found ourselves facing off against a series of German defensive positions before us... As they were in the way we made an attack.

"Crush these svoloches, Comrades!" I shouted.

"Attack," Vylkalev said, "Find cover and destroy every one of them!"

Vylkalev and I lead our Russians in the assault on these defensive positions, and as we made our fierce assault, the German defenses fired intense gunfire that riddled some of the Russians. In response, my Russians held cover by different trees and plants in these grasslands and fired shots back that raked the enemy defenses. The Germans kept firing shots that nailed multiple friendlies, so I shot two enemies as Vylkalev gunned a couple more soldiers down, then I fired and riddled a position to pieces. I gunned another soldier down as Vylkalev fired cover, then I shot two more soldiers, but a machine gun blazed at me, driving me to cover. But, as the gunner started to turn his attention elsewhere, I aimed and shot the enemy gunner. With the furious fighting raging, I fired and shot five more enemies, then the Russians fired shots that nailed multiple Germans and shot up several positions. As I gunned two more soldiers down, but another machine gunner fired at me, so I evaded shots, then aimed and shot the gunner as he pinned a few friendlies, then Vylkalev shot a few more Germans. I fired and shot five more Germans, but a midst the fiery intensity, the Germans fired more intense gunfire that shot multiple Russians. So, I fired and shot up a couple more positions in return as the Germans kept firing shots that raked friendlies.

We kept fighting very hard with these defenses, as the Germans kept firing immense gunfire from their positions and shooting numerous Russians in the fierce battle. I shot up a position as the Germans kept firing immense rifle fire that shot multiple more Russians, then I fired PPSH fire that nailed five more enemies as Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers, then I fired shots that razed a couple more positions to pieces. The Germans kept firing intense shots that riddled friendly soldiers and positions in the vicious fighting, with a machine gunner blazing furiously to pin some friendlies down. I evaded the machine gunner's volley with the cover of my tree, then as Vylkalev fired cover shots, I aimed and shot the machine gunner. The Russians kept firing shots that raked the enemy positions, then as I fired PPSH fire and shot six more Germans, the Russians kept firing immense gunfire that shot numerous enemies. The Germans kept firing shots that raked and pinned friendlies, so I shot up a couple positions, then Vylkalev fired his PPSH and nailed a few more soldiers as I fired shots that riddled a couple more positions to pieces. In the fierce fighting, the Russians fired more fiery gunfire that shot multiple Germans as I shot up another position. However, the Germans kept firing intense rifle fire back and shot numerous Russians in return a midst the vicious, hard fighting, so I fired PPSH fire that shot five more enemies and shot up different positions.

After much fighting, we had fired shots that eliminated more than half of the enemy defenses. Still, the Germans held on just as hard and kept firing shots to desperately try and fend us off. I shot two more enemies as Vylkalev gunned a couple soldiers down, but a machine gun fired at us, driving us to cover. However, as I dodged a volley and Vylkalev fired cover shots, I aimed and shot the machine gunner, then the Russians fired intense shots that riddled multiple different enemy positions to shreds. I fired and shot five more enemies as Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers, but the Germans fired shots that nailed multiple friendlies and raked our positions. In response, I fired and nailed more enemies and then shot up a few positions, then I shot two more Germans while evading shots. The Germans fired rifle fire that riddled friendly positions, but as Vylkalev and I fired cover shots, the Russians fired intense gunfire that shot numerous Germans and shot up several remaining positions, then I fired and shot five other remaining enemies.

"I'll burn you bastards!" I shouted as I fired my gun.

Eventually, we kept fighting until we eliminated the last of the enemy positions, then we moved up. As we continued leading the Russian troops through here, we emerged onto more open grassland, and we kept on the path.

"Keep moving, Comrades," I said, "We will nearly be there!"

Vylkalev and I ran across the fields with the Russians all following us, but as we kept moving forward, we came across yet another German trench line, all filled with riflemen... So we attacked, just as before.

"Drive them off, men!" Vylkalev said.

"Find cover and fire on these svoloches!" I ordered.

We both lead the charge against this second trench line, with us Russians firing shots at the line as we moved in. Immediately, however, the line of German infantry fired immense gunfire back and shot multiple Russians as a fierce battle commenced. As the Germans kept firing rifle shots that riddled more friendly soldiers and positions, I shot two enemies while the Russians fired rifle shots back that nailed multiple Germans in the trench, then I fired PPSH fire that shot five more enemies. Vylkalev shot a few more soldiers, but the Germans kept firing immense gunfire back that cut numerous more Russians to pieces, some bullets tearing limbs off of several friendlies. As the Germans kept firing shots that raked friendly positions, I shot two enemies as Vylkalev then shot a few more soldiers, then I shot two other soldiers as the Russians fired rifle shots that nailed multiple friendlies in the fierce fighting, then I kept firing PPSH fire that shot five more Germans. The Germans fired more fiery rifle fire that shot numerous more Russians as we kept charging, then they kept firing shots that riddled friendly positions. In response, I gunned down another soldier as the Russians fired cover shots that raked enemy positions. While I shot two more enemies, the Germans fired intense gunfire that shot multiple friendlies.

The fierce fighting raged heavily as we kept charging the trench, braving immense German gunshots and firing our rifles back. Eventually, however, a midst the fiery intensity raining over us, we kept getting closer and closer to wiping out this line. Still, the Germans held on desperately, firing intense shots to try and fend us off... But we remained just as determined anyways and kept pushing. As the Germans fired fierce gunfire at us, I fired gunned an enemy down as Vylkalev shot a couple more soldiers, then I fired and nailed two other enemies while the Russians fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple different enemies in the trench line. Vylkalev fired cover as I shot two more enemies, then the Russians fired shots that raked the enemy trench while I fired shots that nailed five other Germans. As they still held on, the Germans kept firing intense gunfire that shot numerous friendlies in the fierce fighting. I shot two more soldiers as Vylkalev then fired and nailed a few more enemies, then I gunned another soldier down. The Germans kept firing shots that raked friendly positions, but as we got closer, Vylkalev and I fired cover shots at the trench. After hard, fierce fighting, the Russians fired immense rifle fire that shot numerous Germans in the trench, then I fired PPSH fire that shot five remaining enemies.

"Eradicate this trench, men!" Vylkalev shouted.

The fighting raged until we shot the last enemy defender in the trench. That was it, there was now likely nothing standing in our way to Hershing's castle. From the map, we were very close now, so we immediately pushed on to reach this castle... And find and confront Hershing.

"The maps says the castle is very close." Vylkalev stated.

"Good," I said, "I'll bet Hershing is there."

"Maybe we'll finally see what he's working on." Vylkalev spoke.

We kept leading our Russian troops on the pathway... And soon, we came upon the castle grounds themselves. As we passed through the entrance point, we saw the castle itself. There were magnificent buildings in red Chinese architecture, taller ones toward the center, while we looked towards the perimeter of the castle and saw it lined by a ring of smaller buildings.

As we looked closer at these smaller buildings that lined around this castle, we saw that there were many German troops in the windows of these small perimeter buildings. All these German defenses were guarding the large gateway leading into the castle... So, we rushed to eliminate these defenses first.

"There's the castle, men!" Vylkalev said.

"Comrades, this is it," I said with passion, "Our glorious vengeance awaits... Charge!"

Vylkalev and I lead our forces in assaulting the German building defenses on the perimeter of these castle grounds. The German soldiers fired intense rifle fire and machine gun shots from the building windows of the castle grounds' perimeter that tried to fend us off, but we just kept pushing. The Germans kept firing intense gunfire from the building windows and shot numerous Russians, then they kept firing rifle fire that riddled more friendly soldiers and positions. While the Germans were firing fiery rifle fire which cut multiple friendlies to pieces, Vylkalev and I fired cover shots that raked the enemy positions, then I fired and shot five enemies in the buildings. As they braved more incoming gunshots, the Russians fired intense rifle fire that shot multiple enemies in the house windows, but the Germans fired shots back that shot numerous more friendlies. I fired cover shots as Vylkalev gunned a few soldiers down, then the Russians fired shots that riddled the enemy positions while I kept firing PPSH fire and shot six more enemies, then Vylkalev and I shot up several enemy positions. Enemy gunfire still rained heavily at us, but as Vylkalev and I fired cover that raked the buildings, the Russians fired more immense gunfire that shot multiple more enemies and riddled more of their positions to shreds.

As we kept fighting hard, firing more shots at the enemies in the buildings on this perimeter, we started diminishing the defending German infantry here. Still, the still numerous remaining Germans kept fighting and firing intense gunfire to try and fend us off, firing shots that raked our positions. I fired and shot five more enemies in the building windows, then Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers, but as the Russians fired shots at the enemy positions, German soldiers fired intense rifle fire and shot multiple friendlies, then kept firing shots that raked our positions. I shot two more enemies in a window as Vylkalev fired cover shots, then I gunned two more soldiers down in another window. Vylkalev and I kept firing cover shots that further diminished the enemy defense as the Russians fired immense gunfire that riddled numerous enemies in the buildings, but the Germans kept firing shots that raked friendly positions. In response, I fired and shot five more enemies as Vylkalev gunned a couple soldiers down. With just a few enemies remaining, the Russians fired intense rifle shots that nailed multiple Germans and shot up several positions, while I fired and shot five more enemies.

The enemy infantry defenses were severely worn now, and so we kept firing and shooting any enemies in the windows until we shot up the last of them... Now we could focus on the gate... But I was sure there would be something else to do before we could advance.

"We've cleared the outer defenses, it seems," Vylkalev said, "Get the Panzerschrecks in here to get rid of the gate."

But that's when German soldiers appeared in a couple of towers on the perimeter and fired machine gun fire and Panzershreck rockets, pinning us down and keeping our men with Panzershrecks from moving up.

"Chyort," I said, "Get rid of those towers!"

Russian soldiers with Panzerschrecks came in, but the towers fired heavy shots that pinned them down while shooting several other friendlies. While dodging terrifying machine gun bullets and rockets flying at me, I brandished my scoped Mosin rifle. Vylkalev fired cover shots at the towers, then I aimed and shot a machine gunner firing at all of us. As I dodged some machine gun fire, I aimed and shot another machine gunner, then I gunned down a Panzerschreck wielder, who fell from the tower. I aimed and shot a gunner in another tower, then dodged a rocket and fired a shot that struck another enemy in one of the towers.

The towers kept firing and pinning the Panzerschreck Russians down, while firing to try and shoot me as well. I shot a machine gunner firing at me, and as Vylkalev fired cover, I dodged a volley of shots, aimed and shot another machine gunner, who fell from the tower. Only a few enemies remained in the towers, but they kept pinning friendlies down. I fired shots that nailed two more machine gunners, then I dodged shots and aimed to shoot a Panzershreck soldier, and I saw his rocket fly into the air once getting shot... Soon, the towers were taken out.

With that done, the couple Russian soldiers armed with Panzerschrecks came near, aimed and blazed rockets at the gate, obliterating it to pieces of splintering wood... But that's immediately when another problem occurred, for two Asien Korps gunners came in with their MG 34s to confront us.

"Shit!" a Russian said.

The gunners blazed heavy rounds that ripped several friendlies to shreds, bullets tearing flesh off and causing the rest of us to get to cover. I fired shots at the gunners, but they fired back, keeping me in cover. Some Korps soldiers came in and fired their FG 42 guns and STG 44 rifles, shooting several more Russians. In response, I fired and shot a Korps soldier, then fired more shots at one of the gunners. I evaded more gunshots and then fired intense PPSH fire that nailed two more Korps soldiers firing at me. As Vylkalev then fired cover, I blazed shots that finally took down one of the gunners, just as his bullets blazed and nearly took me down.

However, the other gunner kept blazing at me, and some Korps soldiers fired at me as well, but the Russians fired cover shots to fend the enemies off. With that, I fired and shot another Korps soldier, but the gunner fired at me, sending me back to cover. I fired at the gunner as he fired back, then we kept exchanging shots that nearly killed me, but I got to cover first. Vylkalev fired cover as I shot another Korps soldier, but the last gunner withdrew his sabre and charged... Luckily, I shot up that one gunner before he reached me.

A couple remaining Korps soldiers then charged with bayonets, so I fired and riddled one dead, but the other one came too close. I dodged his bayonet, then grabbed his rifle, and after some fierce wrestling, I knocked him back and stabbed him with the bayonet, finishing him off.

"That's it," Vylkalev said, "Move into the castle grounds!"

With Vylkalev and I leading, we all moved through the gate, going down the pathways and different small buildings and houses on these castle grounds. Once we did, we encountered a tower that had enemy machine gunners.

"Bring that tower down!" Vylkalev shouted.

The tower sprayed immensely heavy machine gun shots that pinned a few of the Russians down, so I got to a building and took out my Mosin rifle. With that, I aimed and shot one of the machine gunners, but another one in the tower fired at me, driving me to cover. Vylkalev, in response, fire cover shots, letting me aim again and fire a few more shots that finally eliminated the last enemies in the tower.

"Move up, move up!" I ordered.

Immediately, as I took out my PPSH, we moved further down the pathways, through the houses of these castle grounds... And soon enough, we encountered a great many of Germans appearing in the houses and pathways, firing their guns at us to try and fend us off... So we fired back as a fierce battle ensued.

"Fire on them," I shouted, "Burn all of these svoloches!"

"Chyort, they're in the houses," Vylkalev warned, "Eliminate them!"

Vicious fighting ensued as we Russians engaged the Germans in a series of fierce battles all over the courtyards and small buildings of these castle ground, fighting hard for our way to the center. Braving enemy shots, I fired PPSH fire and shot five enemies opposing me, then Vylkalev gunned a few other soldiers down while I shot two more enemies. The Germans fired intense gunfire from their positions and shot numerous Russians in the fierce fighting, but I fired PPSH fire which shot five more enemies, then the Russians fired intense shots back that nailed multiple Germans in return. The Russians fired intense cover fire that raked the enemy positions as I shot two enemies in a house, then Vylkalev shot a few more enemies as I then shot two other Germans in another house. As we kept moving up and fighting past enemy soldiers, the Germans fired intense gunfire that riddled multiple Russians, then kept firing shots that raked friendly positions. In response, I fired PPSH fire and shot five more Germans firing at us, then as Vylkalev fired cover, I shot two more soldiers in a different house, then we moved up through these grounds.

From the houses and their other positions, the Germans kept firing intense rifle fire that fiercely shot numerous Russians and riddled different friendly positions. So as Vylkalev and I fired cover shots back, the Russians held positions on our side and fired intense shots back to fend off the enemy attackers. Braving the enemy shots raining heavily over them, the Russians fired rifle shots that riddled different enemy positions, then I fired and shot five Germans. As Vylkalev fired and nailed several enemies with PPSH fire, the Russians fired intense gunfire that shot numerous enemies, but in the fierce fighting, the Germans kept firing immense rifle fire which shot multiple friendlies. I fired PPSH fire which shot six more Germans firing at us, then as Vylkalev and I kept firing cover, the Russians fired shots that raked more enemy positions to pieces, but the Germans still fired fiery gunfire that shot and ripped numerous friendlies to shreds in the vicious battle. As we moved up, Vylkalev fired and gunned a few more friendlies down, but the Germans kept firing gunfire that riddled friendly positions. In response, I fired and shot five more enemies and then the Russians fired intense rifle shots that riddled multiple other Germans and shot up their positions, then we kept fighting hard past all of these buildings.

Vylkalev and I fired intense PPSH shots that riddled multiple enemies and shot up different house positions, letting us move forward. I gunned two more enemies down in a house, then shot another soldier to the right. While Vylkalev gunned a couple more enemies down, I then shot two more soldiers in a different house, but a machine gunner opened up and fired at us, pinning several friendlies down. I fired at the gunner, but he blazed back, so Vylkalev fired cover as I then aimed and shot the enemy machine gunner. The Russians fired intense shots that nailed multiple enemies in the fierce fighting, then I fired PPSH fire that nailed five more enemies firing at us while Vylkalev shot up a few other soldiers. We moved up and encountered more enemies firing at us, so I shot two more enemies in a house, then gunned down another soldier to the right. The Germans fired immense gunfire and shot numerous friendlies, but as Vylkalev fired cover, I fired PPSH fire that nailed five more enemies.

A midst the fierce, hard fighting, we got even closer towards the center on these grounds, but more Germans were here to keep firing at us. I shot two enemies in a house as Vylkalev then gunned a couple other soldiers down, then I fired and nailed two more Germans. However, the Germans kept firing immense shots that riddled multiple friendlies, so I fired PPSH fire which shot six more enemies as the Germans kept firing rifle shots that raked and pinned friendly soldiers and positions. Vylkalev shot several more enemies, as I fired more PPSH fire that nailed five more enemies, then the Russians fired hails of gunfire that shot numerous Germans and raked enemy positions to pieces. However, an enemy machine gun fired and shot up a few friendlies, and I dove to cover as the enemy fired at me. Vylkalev fired cover and then I shot at the gunner's position, but he fired back, but as I concentrated, I soon gunned down the machine gunner. As the Russians all fired cover fire, I shot two enemies in a house, then Vylkalev gunned down a couple more soldiers as I shot another enemy to the left. The Germans kept firing intense gunfire and shooting multiple friendlies to pieces, but I gunned down two more soldiers in a house as Vylkalev fired cover, then I fired and shot five more Germans firing at us.

Just nearing the center, we Russians kept firing gunfire at enemies before us and in the different small buildings, shooting up enemy positions, while the Germans kept firing gunfire back that ripped more Russians to pieces, some bullets ripping limbs off. I gunned two enemies down in a house, then Vylkalev shot a few other soldiers while I fired more PPSH fire that riddled five more Germans firing at us. As enemy gunfire rained at them, Vylkalev and I fired cover back while the Russians fired intense rifle fire that nailed multiple enemies and shot up different positions. I shot two enemies in a house as Vylkalev then shot a couple more soldiers, then I aimed and gunned down two other Germans in another house. Eventually, we just nearly cleared away the enemies in our way, with Vylkalev and I shooting up remaining several house positions. After much hard, vicious fighting, the Russians fired intense gunfire that cut numerous enemies down, then I fired and shot five more Germans firing at us.

"Keep fighting, comrades," I shouted, "Eliminate them!"

As we kept fighting past infantry on the ground, we found ourselves facing off against two more towers of enemy machine gunners and Panzerschreck launchers that sprayed shots at us, taking out a few friendlies. I took out my Mosin and fired a shot that nailed an enemy, but then dodged machine gun shots blazing in return. Vylkalev fired cover, so I aimed and shot two more enemies in the tower, then I aimed at the other tower and shot another machine gunner. I evaded another volley and then shot another soldier in the other tower, but the towers kept blazing rounds that struck some friendlies.

I kept firing at the tower and dodging their return fire, with me shooting a machine gunner, who fell from the tower. Vylkalev and the Russians kept firing cover shots as I fire and nailed two more enemies, then I dodged machine gun fire and a couple Panzerschreck rockets to aim and shoot the remaining enemies... And the towers were finished.

"Move up, men!" Vylkalev spoke.

"Search for anything important!" I stated.

We moved up further through the pathways, until we came upon our destination. We were in the center of the castle grounds themselves, where we found three long buildings spread out over this large yard... They were defended by numerous Korps soldiers with FG 42s and STG 44s, as well as three gunners with MG 34s... But we remained determined to fight past them.

"Those three buildings look important." Vylkalev said.

"Attack," I ordered, "Lay cover fire on them!"

We battled the Korps soldiers and gunners in a fierce skirmish, and though the Germans fired intense gunfire that riddled multiple friendlies to pieces, Vylkalev and I fired cover shots that let the others get to cover. As the Germans all fired hails of gunfire at us, the Russians fired intense cover back at the enemies, then Vylkalev and I fired PPSH fire that raked at the Korps soldiers, but they fired back and we had to be careful to avoid their shots. In a fierce skirmish, I gunned down a Korps soldier, then evaded enemy bullets as Vylkalev fired cover fire, then I fired shots that riddled two more Korps soldiers firing at me. I then fired at one of the MG 34 gunner, but he fired back, so I went back to cover. As the German soldiers were firing heavy gunshots at us, the Russians kept firing cover shots back to fend them off, then I shot one enemy down as Vylkalev fired and nailed another Korps soldier, then I shot up another enemy firing at me. I fired at the gunners again, then dodged their shots as I then fired and shot up two more Korps soldiers firing at me. Vylkalev gunned down another enemy as I kept dodging gunshots from a gunner, then as we kept fighting and firing at each other, I finally shot one of the gunners down.

The other gunner kept firing at me, driving me to cover, so I fired shots back that raked the enemies. The German Korps soldiers kept firing shots which fiercely riddled several more Russians, then kept firing gunfire that raked friendly positions. Still, the Russians fired intense gunfire back that kept fending off the Korps soldiers, then I shot another Korps soldier as Vylkalev gunned down another enemy. I fired at a gunner but he fired back, so I took cover and then aimed and shot up another Korps soldier firing at me. As Vylkalev fired cover shots, I dodged fire and then shot up two more Korps soldiers, then fired at one of the gunners... Soon, as we kept fighting, I shot and killed that gunner, just barely avoiding his deadly volley. As German gunfire rained all over us, I shot another Korps soldier while Vylkalev then aimed and shot another enemy, then I fired and nailed another Korps soldier as the Russians kept firing shots that fended more enemies off.

"Let's get into those buildings, Viktor!" Vylkalev said.

As the Russians kept fighting the Germans, Vylkalev and I rushed over to one of the long building, breaking down one of the doors, and finding an astonishing sight in the long building... A V2 rocket was housed here, and there were likely other ones housed in the other two long buildings.

"You think these are what he's working on?" I asked.

"Possibly... But I think something else is going on other than that." Vylkalev said.

"Then let's destroy them," I said, "Hand me a charge."

Vylkalev handed me one of his charges and then we got to work placing the explosives on the rockets. We finally finished placing the charges and then went out of the building, rejoining the ongoing battle.

"Cover me so I can get to the next building, Reznov!" Vylkalev said.

Immediately, I fired cover shots at enemies, though the Germans fired back. As we kept shooting at each other, Vylkalev made a run for it, getting to some crates. After dodging some heavy shots, I fired and shot two enemies, then Vylkalev ran over to the entrance of the second supposed V2 house.

"Get over here, Reznov!" Vylkalev called over.

As Vylkalev fired cover, I rushed over to him, just barely dodging gunshots until I reached Vylkalev. With that, we broke the door down and entered, indeed finding yet another V2 rocket stationed here. Vylkalev and I placed a couple charges on it, making sure it would be hard for anyone to find them. When our work was finished, we finally left the building, and I decided to finish of the remaining Korps soldiers here.

With the last gunner firing at me, I just barely dodged his volley and fired back at him. Korps soldiers fired at me, so I fired and nailed one enemy, then dodged shots to fire at the gunner. The Russians kept firing from their positions to cover me and Vylkalev, so I fired and shot up two more Korps soldiers firing at me, then I shot at the gunner, but he fired back and drove me to cover. In response two Korps soldiers charged at me with bayonets, but I reloaded, aimed and shot them up, riddling them down. The gunner, however, kept firing until he finally unsheathed his sword and charged. Once I got out of cover, I dodged a couple swings of his sword, then I finally shot him dead.

A remaining Korps soldier fired at me, but I dodged the shot and fired back, shooting him down, only for another Korps soldier to charge at me with a bayonet, shouting "Heil Hitler!", and I just barely dodged his bayonet thrust to grab hold of his rifle. After we struggled fiercely, I knocked him back with the gun's stock and then stabbed him with the bayonet, and with these men dispatched, we continued onward.

"One more left, Viktor." Vylkalev spoke.

Vylkalev and I went into the third and last V2 house and came across the last rocket. Like before, we got to work with the charges, then we exited the house to regroup with the others... Then we kept on pushing forward.

"Clear away the rest of them!" I ordered.

We kept fighting fiercely, shooting whatever enemies in our way, and then we encountered some more Korps soldiers who fired intense rifle fire that tore several friendlies down. After I got to cover, I aimed and shot up one Korps soldier as Vylkalev then gunned another enemy down, then I shot up another soldier. However, two MG 34 gunners came in and sprayed heavy bullets that ripped at our cover, and forced us to find new places to get behind. As the Korps soldiers fired at us, I evaded shots and then fired PPSH fire that nailed two enemies, then shot at one of the gunners. However, as I got back into cover, an even bigger threat rolled in... A King Tiger tank.

The tank fired shells and machine gun shots that blasted away several friendlies, but as I dodged bullets, I kept firing shots that took down one of the gunners firing at me, then I aimed and shot another Korps soldier. The Tiger tank blazed a couple shells at me, but I jumped and dodged those, then I fired at the other gunner before he returned fire and drove me back to cover. With Vylkalev and the Russians firing cover shots, I fired PPSH fire that riddled two more Korps soldiers firing at me, then I fired again at the other gunner. Vylkalev shot another Korps soldier, then I dodged another shell from the King Tiger and fired at the gunner... And as Vylkalev kept firing cover, I finally shot the last gunner, but I still had the tank to contend with.

"Take out that tank, Viktor!" Vylkalev demanded.

I kept dodging shells blazing from the tank, just nearly jumping away from explosions. However, that's when I saw a rather peculiar relief over by another building, mortar shells. I doubt they could take out a King Tiger, but they could help, so I rushed over to pick one up, but Vylkalev then came and shoved me out of the way as the tank fired at us us, missing due to Vylkalev shoving me, and blasting a great hole in the building.

However, I got my footing again and, just as the tank began to aim again, I threw the mortar shell and severely damaged it in the back. The still working barrel fired at me, but I dodged the shell and rushed up to climb aboard, bashing open the hatch and then aiming and shooting all the crew members, just as one drew his Walther P38 pistol... The tank was finished, along with all the other enemies.

...But I noticed something, the building that the tank blew a hole in... Shimmering came for the hole, and so we went over and entered the building through that hole... And wouldn't you know it, the gold, stacks of gold bars filled the rather large room... This only had to be a portion of it.

...However, I noticed something behind one of the stacks, boots. I went over to peer around, where I found a Nazi officer, lifeless, a Walther P38 pistol near him as a bullet was in his head... I examined his face, seeing his aged face, his beard, and concluded that this was the leader of the Asien Korps himself, Wilhelm Eibenwitz... Now dead.

"Will you look at this." Vylkalev said as he picked up and held a bar of gold. He then handed the gold bar to me, and I looked at the golden piece in its shimmering beauty.

"...Spectacular." I said.

However, immediately as we turned back to the exit, suddenly, German Korps soldiers appeared and held their guns at us, keeping us from escaping... And that's exactly when he came in... Karl von Hershing himself.

"Yes, isn't it," Hershing said to me as he walked closer, picking up a gold bar, "I take pride in my collection."

"...Karl." I said.

"You continue to surprise, and yet, so disappoint me, Viktor," Hershing said, "...But I just can't wait to catch up."

Immediately, a German soldier with a Stahlhelm and balaclava, same as the others, came over and hit me in the stomach with the stock of his FG 42. As I looked back up, that same German soldier punched me with his right fist hard in the back of my head, causing me to fall to the ground and become dazed... As I looked up one last time, I saw Erich himself with Hershing, going over to gasp Vylkalev's arm... Hopefully, he was using the German uniform he still wore to our advantage.

...But right now, our victory would have to be postponed...


	34. Glorious Comrade

... ...

... ...

...Being here, in our final hour of victory... And yet, I'm a captive, a captive of my most sworn enemy...

...I hardly got a scratch, but that didn't matter... He knew my men were more important to me than my own life, so that's why he tortured them instead, right in front of me... And there was just nothing that could be done about it...

Hershing and his men cut up a few of the men with bloody sadism... I watched Hershing bloodily slice the bodies of fellow Russians with his knife and a relishing smile on his face, I watched him walked up to a restrained Vylkalev and make a slow, crude cut under his right eye, then I also saw him get up to another prisoner and slice off his tongue, just before viciously stabbing and twisting the blade into the prisoner's hand... All with a calm expression on his face... And he just kept cutting.

Out of all this, I just wanted it to stop... But out of all of it, my men, even as they were tortured, told me not to tell him anything... Even then, I knew that wouldn't do anything. He likely already knew everything... This was all just to toy with me.

...Eventually, I was in an office up the castle's overseeing tower. I stood on a chair, with a rope tied around my neck with the other end hastened to a beam above me, all while my hands in front of me were in binds... Sitting across from me, was Hershing's German Shepherd, Wulf, sitting orderly and under full command.

This looked liked Hershing's office, and I looked around to see some of his personal belongings. I saw a Japanese Katana sitting in a case, Nazi flags draped on each side of a map on the wall. I then looked at the desk, seeing framed photographs facing me. These photographs each showed a different woman, one from France, one from Africa, one from Korea... I strongly believed these women to be mistresses of his.

...And that's just when Hershing walked into the room himself, unaccompanied. He was smoking a cigarette, which he eventually put out as he started to turn and walk towards me with a smile.

"Priveti khoroshiy den', Viktor (Hello and good day, Viktor)." Hershing spoke to me in Russian with his usual casual calm, but clearly masking his typical sinister self.

"...You." I spoke as I looked up.

"Yes, me... Welcome back," Hershing said with a smile, standing and leaning back against his desk as he stood before me, "And congratulations, Viktor, for you finally found me... It's been a long time, and I'm curious to hear how you're doing, especially now that it seems you've got what you wanted."

That's when a Korps soldier suddenly brought Mischa in, almost dragging her in by the Soviet flag tied around her neck, and brought her over towards Hershing and his dog, Wulf, then Hershing spoke to me, "Now a present from Dimitri, yes?" Hershing spoke to me of the dog.

I didn't answer, but I clearly had concern in my eyes, because Hershing could clearly see it. He simply said a calm "Hm.", then his face turned to sadistic pleasure as he gave a command to Wulf for him to seize his jaws on Mischa's throat and bring her to the floor. With that, with a calm, sadistic grin on his face, Hershing pushed his boot against Mischa's neck as she wriggled on the floor, but to no avail in getting away. As Hershing kept slowly pressing his boot against Mischa's throat, the dog started gulping and having a hard time breathing, then she started whining helplessly.

"Stop it!" I shouted in furious despair.

Hershing kept his boot on Mischa's neck, but after a moment, he finally stepped off and walked over to face me, leaning back against his desk with his arms crossing his chest as he spoke with calm, "I know you're here for me, but I can see... What else is it you look for?"

"...Why are you here?" I asked, sternly.

"Whatever do you mean," Hershing responded, "This is where I work... But, of course, you mean something else."

"You instructed Shirasaki to evacuate," I said, "...And with what?"

"Well, gold, mostly... We've all worked hard for our goals," Hershing said, "Yours is vengeance, while mine is winning."

"You've already lost," I said, "...You're government has surrendered, so give up."

"Well, politics are so tiresome, anyways," Hershing said, "What understanding do they really have?"

"What are you talking about?" I pondered.

"...All _my_ life, even being rich, I've been so bored, so... Disappointed," Hershing spoke, "Everyone around me, so incredibly inferior, so weak minded... So, my work is devoted to give them the exact fate that they're asking for," Hershing then stood over by the window, gazing outside at the missile houses, he gave a slow wave of his hand towards the missile houses, as if presenting something, "...And see how my work has been rewarded."

"How did you build this?" I demanded.

"Eibenwitz was the founder of this Korps," Hershing said, "But I think you know I was the true creator... And how much fun it was to convince him and the Fuhrer in getting the Nazis to give the Korps its immense strength... Such as these missiles."

"We've encountered V2 missiles like them before." I said, defiantly

"Oh, but not like these," Hershing said, walking back and standing before me, "The gold, as you know, will pay for the buildup of our strength, and one of them is right here," Hershing then placed a soft hand on a metal box sitting on the desk, "...Be careful when handling uranium, Viktor."

"...Uranium," I said, "That seems complicated."

"Oh yes, it seems," Hershing said, "But it's actually remarkably simple... I know what Shirasaki told you, the remnants of Germany and Japan, how we'll build a base here, how we'll use these missiles to keep you away so we can rise to greatness again... But I still haven't answered your question yet, hm... Which brings me back to my point."

"Your point?" I asked.

"I know you, Viktor," Hershing said, "That's why you've been so interesting to me... Because, despite our differences, we still see the world in a similar realism... You know that neither a god or an afterlife exists, so must be no point to life, hm... Well, then the strong should make a point in life.

"You cause people to die!" I spoke angrily.

"Everyone dies, Viktor," Hershing said, calmly, "Death is central, so we might just help each other there... If you haven't figured it out yet, that's the point of life for the strong, the superior, to suppress the weak, to move the inferior to their deaths... That's all anyone's good for, anyways."

"The strong," I said, "...You mean yourself."

"Ah, now you're getting it, very clever," Hershing said, "You ask why I'm here... Well, it's so obvious that I wish to revive the Reich, but why... The Nazis give me power, such immense power... The power to enforce my true superiority, that's what Hitler's regime existed for."

"Giving strength to the superior," I stated, "And just like them, you took it for yourself."

"...I admit to being a cruel man," Hershing said, "But I know you see people who are warranting death, just the same as I do."

"And that's how you know nothing about me," I said sternly, "I told this to Shirasaki and, I'll say the same thing... I seek out to destroy those who actually deserve death, to defend my countrymen, that's why I'm a soldier... But you, you're just a murderer, and a thief."

"...Hm, still," Hershing spoke, "...You do assert you're right to exact vengeance... You're right to take a life... Admirable, but I assure you, your comrades will not receive the same respect."

Suddenly, I heard some commotion outside of the door, hearing some men speaking in Russian from the other side. With that, Hershing gave me a devious smile and spoke towards the door, "...Starting with them."

Taking out his Luger, Hershing gave me a shush gesture with his finger and went up against the wall just next to the door. Soon, some relief came in through the door, presenting themselves as Vylkalev and Erich, evading capture to come rescue me... At least It would be a relief if I didn't know what was about to happen next.

"Viktor." Vylkalev said with surprised relief.

"Mikhail, look out!" I warned.

...But it was too late, for Hershing immediately jumped out and seized hold of Vylkalev from behind, wrapping his left arm around his neck while using his other hand to hold a gun to his head. As Erich aimed his FG-42 at Hershing back, several Korps soldiers came in and aimed back at us in support of Hershing, who continued to hold Vylkalev hostage.

"Ah, I remember you," Hershing said calmly to Vylkalev, petting his hair with his left hand as he continued to hold his Luger to him, then he turned towards Erich, who stood next to me, looking to free me, "And you too, Erich... You surprise and disappoint me. Well hurry up, untie him."

Warily, Erich walked up and started to slowly free the bonds on my wrists, then he helped get rid of the noose around my neck. As I stood down from the chair, Erich grabbed my PPSH and Model 27 off the table and handed it to me. While I wielded my PPSH once again and aimed at Hershing, the Nazi officer kicked Vylkalev's PPSH over to Erich, who slung his FG-42 over his back, picked up the PPSH and aimed it as well.

Our standoff continued, however, as Erich and I aimed at Hershing while the tense Korps soldiers kept aiming at us, with Hershing continuing to aim at his hostage in Vylkalev... I wasn't going to fire yet, not while Vylkalev was in danger, and Hershing seemed to know this, so he ordered two of his men to grab the metal box of uranium and take it out of the room.

"You son of a bitch!" Vylkalev spoke.

"That little village burnt so much you could cook with it, hm," Hershing remarked sadistically, bringing up Vylkalev's reason for vengeance, "In fact, it was sort of like we did, didn't we, Mikhail."

We kept glaring and aiming at each other in a tense moment... But as it passed, I noticed that our earlier work had paid off... The charges that we placed in those three missile houses went off, setting off fiery explosions that ripped and spread like wildfire on the ground, causing a fourth missile nearby to fall over and explode, further making the castle burn intensely.

Alerted to these explosions, Hershing started to become a bit more serious, looking at us sternly as I said, "Now it's your turn."

"You dare threaten me, an officer of the Reich." Hershing said menacingly.

"You're Reich is finished." I responded.

"I _am_ the Reich!" Hershing spoke.

"Not yet!" I stated.

Hershing kept his gun on the back of Vylkalev's head, then as he grabbed an oil lamp off a nearby stand with his other hand, Hershing spoke, "I will not be undermined by some Slavic horde!"

With that, Hershing then threw the oil lamp at the ground before me and Erich, splashing flames everywhere. As we dodged the fire, I saw Hershing and his guards leave the room with both Vylkalev and the metal box of uranium.

"Get out of here!" I shouted toward Erich.

As the room burnt all around, with Erich trying to maneuver around, that's suddenly when Wulf, Hershing's strong, burly German Shepherd charged at me, tackling me, with a support beam falling and pinning my arm. As Wulf tried to sink his teeth in me, but I grabbed his muzzle and struggled to get the dog off me, being very difficult to do so due to his sheer strength... But lucky for me, another dog, the friendly Border Collie, Mischa, charged and tackled Wulf.

Mischa engaged in vicious fighting with Wulf, as the two dogs were fiercely wrestling and trying to maul each other, their piercing growls and menacing furious barks echoing the room. With Mischa and Wulf fighting fiercely, I was surprised at how Mischa was able to hold her own, as Wulf was a big, strong, vicious fighter that was almost twice the size of her. However, Mischa was very fit and strong too, due to the training we gave her, and she could be just as vicious against an opponent.

Eventually, as the two dogs kept fighting hard, I saw my Model 27 pistol nearby and reached for it while Mischa and Wulf kept wrestling viciously. Wulf then pinned Mischa to the floor, but that's when I managed to grasp the pistol, aim and fire a shot that nailed Wulf right in the head and saved Mischa from serious damage... I was surprised at what little damage she actually received from taking on an opponent of that size.

She stood up and recovered quickly before coming over and tried moving the beam on my arm with her jaws, but it proved too heavy for her. Luckily, Erich was still in the room, and once he noticed my situation, he came over and threw the beam aside, then he helped me up as I picked up my PPSH and Model 27 guns.

"Let's get after them!" Erich said.

I wielded my PPSH while Erich brandished Vylkalev's PPSH as well, then we both headed out of the room and down the corridors, with Mischa running at our side while we tried to find Hershing and Vylkalev, and secure that uranium.

"Move it!" Erich demanded.

The two of us rushed down the tower, with Mischa following after. Once getting down to the tower floor, we came out onto the castle grounds themselves, where we encountered Korps soldiers.

"Chyort, raze these bastards!" I shouted.

Erich and I engaged in a fierce skirmish as we started to make our way through the castle grounds. As Korps soldiers appeared and fired their guns at us, Erich and I fired gunfire back to fend them off, with us dodging their gunshots and then we kept firing shots that raked their positions. I shot one Korps soldier, then I dodged rounds and fired to shoot another enemy in the way. Erich fired cover, but the Korps soldiers fired back to keep us back. After evading bullets, I fired and shot two enemies, then Erich shot an enemy. As we kept fighting, I shot one more enemy, then as I fired cover, Erich shot another soldier firing at us.

However, the Korps soldiers kept firing intense gunfire that raked our posts, so after dodging some bullets, I fired back and shot a Korps soldier, then Erich fired cover that raked a couple positions. Still, the Germans kept firing at us, so I dodged their shots and fired intense gunfire back, shooting another enemy. With that, the two of us moved up, further down the pathway, where we encountered more enemies firing at us. Taking cover and dodging their shots, Erich and I fired gunfire that riddled a few enemies firing at us, then we fired shots that raked their positions. Mischa then jumped to seize the throat of an enemy and snap his neck.

After dodging return fire, I gunned a Korps soldier down, then Erich shot another enemy, and we continued to move up. Ultimately, we came halfway towards the gateway of the castle, but some Korps soldiers appeared on our pathway to try and stop us. As the enemies fired at us, I fired and nailed a soldier, then Erich shot another enemy. Still, another danger came in, presenting himself as an MG 34 wielding gunner, who sprayed shots at us. As I took cover and dodged the spray, I fired at the enemy gunner, only for him to fire back. I dodged the attack as Erich then shot off cover fire, then I fired at the gunner, who kept blazing heavy machine gun rounds. After tense fighting, I finally fired and riddled the enemy gunner until he was dead, and we could move on.

Moving further down the pathway, and getting closer towards the gateway. We encountered more Korps soldiers firing at us, but we fired intense gunfire back and shot a few more enemies in the fierce skirmish. I shot a Korps soldier as Erich fired cover, then as I dodged enemy return fire, I fired tense PPSH shots that riddled two more enemies. A remaining enemy fired at me, but I dodged his volley and then fired back to gun him down, then Erich and I moved down the pathway further, eventually coming upon another gunner.

Erich and I held cover as the enemy gunner blazed tense rounds at us, then Erich and I fired back. As we fired at each other, Mischa seized her teeth on the gun of a Korps soldier, and they struggled until Mischa leaped and seized the soldier's throat, snapping it. I fired at the gunner, and then he fired back, but I dodged the gunshots and fired to rake his post, only for him to fire back, his bullets driving me to cover. After dodging his gunshots, I fired at the gunner again as Erich fired cover, but the gunner eventually drew out his saber and charged. Luckily, I fired enough to gun him down before he could reach me first.

"Get to the gateway!" Erich shouted.

We continued rushing down the path now, eager to get to the uranium before they took off with it. Two Korps soldiers charged at us with bayonets, and though I shot one, the other managed to reach me. I evaded his bayonet, then grabbed his rifle and wrestled him for it, but eventually, I came out the victor as I knocked him back and stabbed him with the bayonet. Erich shot another soldier as we then kept moving.

The two of us just nearly reach the gateway, and we could see German soldiers placing the box of uranium in an Opel Blitz truck, just getting ready to make off with their object. A Korps soldier rushed at me, but I gunned him down as Erich shot another Korps soldier firing at us while I fired cover. With that, we kept rushing furiously down the pathway... Up until we finally got right where we wanted.

"They're they are!" I said.

We finally reached the gateway, where we found the Germans trying to make off with the uranium, as they had just finished putting it into a truck. As Erich and I entered the area and found the truck, a machine gun position near the truck blazed furiously at us, driving the two of us to cover.

I dodged the gunshots and fired some PPSH fire back, but the machine gun fired back and drove me to cover again. Erich fired cover at the gunner, as I then fired again, but the machine gun kept firing. Eventually, as the machine gun kept firing at me, I aimed carefully and shot the gunner.

...But that was the least of my problems, for the truck containing the uranium was starting to drive off...

"Shoot the driver, Reznov!" Erich shouted to me.

The truck started speeding, aiming for the gateway... So I took aim, focusing hard to hit the moving target that was gaining more and more speed. The truck was moving very fast now towards the gate, so this was very tricky... But as I fired shots, I probably just got lucky, for I hit and killed the driver, and the truck began to stop. Even luckier, it didn't roll over and crash, just slowed down until it stopped, and sparing us from any explosion from the uranium.

However, before we could even reach the uranium, some Korps soldiers, along with several gunners, appeared to try and stop us... So we engaged them.

"Eliminate these gunners!" Erich said.

Along with some regular hardened SS Korps firing their guns at us, I counted what I saw were five MG 34 wielding machine gunners. As I evaded their shots, Erich fired cover fire to help me as I fired PPSH fire at the enemies, fending off their attacks as they kept firing intense gunfire at me in a tense skirmish.

I kept firing shots as the Korps soldiers were firing at me. As I evaded rounds, I fired and shot a Korps soldier, then I dove to cover as enemies fired at me. In response, as Erich fired intense cover shots, I fired PPSH fire and shot up two more Korps soldiers firing at me, but then got to cover again as two of the gunners fired at me. As I dodged bullets, I aimed and gunned down another Korps soldier, then fired shots at one of the gunners. As he fired back at me, I dodged and then fired off shots to keep fending him off, but him and another gunner fired at me. Still, with Erich firing cover, I finally shot and killed one of the gunners, then I shot another Korps soldier.

With the gunners firing heavily at me, Erich fired cover shots as I kept firing PPSH fire that raked the enemies before me, at the same time while dodging their return fire. I fired at a gunner, but his gunshots drove me back to cover, but Erich fired and shot two Korps soldiers. After dodging some bullets, I fired and shot a Korps soldier, then I evaded bullets and fired to shoot another Korps soldier. However, a couple gunners fired at me, sending me back to cover. As Erich fired and raked the gunners, I aimed and then shot one of the gunners firing at me, but another gunner blazed rounds that raked my position, so I ran to another post. Getting to a new area, and just barely escaping the enemy bullets chasing me, I fired and shot up two more Korps soldiers firing at me.

However, the remaining gunners kept firing at me and Erich, shooting up our posts and forcing us to drive for more cover. After evading bullets, I fired and shot another Korps soldier firing at me, then I fired and raked a gunner. As Erich fired and shot a Korps soldier, I dodged machine gun bullets and then fired intense PPSH fire that nailed two more Korps soldiers firing at me. However, a gunner fired shots that drove me back to cover, while Erich fired and shot another Korps soldier, then I fired cover shots at the gunners while dodging their return fire.

In the intense fighting, I fired more PPSH fire at Korps soldiers, raking enemy positions and trying to shoot up different soldiers. However, as I shot up a Korps soldier firing at me, the Korps troops kept raining heavy gunfire over me, forcing me back into cover as the gunners tried shooting my post to pieces with powerful bullets. Still, as Erich fired cover, I fired at a gunner and then aimed and shot a Korps soldier, only for the gunner to fire back, forcing me to get to another post. As I dodged bullets that nearly killed me, Erich fired more cover shots, as I shot at the gunner again. He fired back and nearly gunned me down, but I dodged the rounds, then aimed and shot him until he fell over, lifeless. Erich kept firing cover as I aimed and shot another Korps soldier firing at me, then I fired at a gunner. As he returned fire, I evaded bullets to fire and shoot another Korps soldier.

The fighting raged with great intensity, bullets raining and flying all around like a furious hailstorm, with great heat as scorching as flames. As I kept firing PPSH shots and evading the enemy return fire, I noticed that the fire engulfing the castle was starting to blaze around here. In response, I started fighting harder, firing at one of the remaining gunners. The gunners fired back at me, shooting up my position and driving me back to cover, but as Erich kept firing shots as well, I dodged heavy MG rounds and then shot up one of the gunners.

The battle raged on, as after a very difficult challenge raged, nearly bringing an end to my life, there only remained one gunner left, though along with several Korps soldiers. As the enemies kept firing intense shots at us, Erich and I fired gunfire back, with me firing PPSH fire and shooting two more Korps soldiers firing at me, while Erich then shot another Korps soldier as I covered him. Still, we continued to focus on the last gunner firing at us.

I fired at the last gunner, only for him to fire back and keep me boxed in. I moved towards another post, but that was when a Korps soldier charged at me, thrusting his bayonet at me. Luckily I jumped out the way seized the rifle, and then struggled with him over it. Eventually, I knocked him back with the stock and the stabbed him with the bayonet, but the gunner kept firing me, so I recovered my PPSH and got back to cover as Erich fired at the gunner. I fired back at the gunner, but he shot at me as well. We kept firing at one another, with his bullets nearly taking me down. However, with Erich firing cover, eventually, I fired and riddled the gunner until he was finally killed. A remaining Korps soldier then charged, but I aimed and gunned him down as well.

...That was it, the last of the resistance here was destroyed...

"That's the last of them," Erich stated, "Let's check the truck."

The two of us went over towards the truck, with several Russian soldiers coming over towards us as well. With that, we inspected the truck, finding the box of uranium in the bed... Unfortunately though, we didn't find neither Vylkalev nor Hershing anywhere around here.

"The box is still here." Erich said.

"Where's Vylkalev?" I asked.

"...I'm not sure." Erich answered.

Luckily, I wouldn't have to worry about that for long, for Mischa went over to check on something nearby on the ground. I walked over towards the commotion and saw she was worked up at a Soviet Commissar's cap, of which I knew belonged to Vylkalev.

I picked up Vylkalev's cap and gazed upon it, but immediately, Mischa started smelling the cap until she started getting worked up again. Mischa pranced over towards a pathway leading back into the castle grounds.

"She must have his scent." Erich said.

"Then I'll see where it takes me," I said, "I'll be back soon."

"Captain Reznov," Erich spoke, "It's too dangerous in there... You might not find him."

"Just take the truck and get it out of here," I said, then I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "I'll be fine."

The both of us feeling more confident, I started following Mischa down the pathway, the dog and I eager to find Vylkalev... And hopefully, before Hershing can really harm him.

I left Erich and several of the Soviet soldiers as they started commandeering the truck containing the uranium. As they took care of that, I followed Mischa as she tracked Vylkalev back towards the inner of the castle.

We made our way through passages and corridors as the dog continued to search for my comrade, relying only on her scent. It was rather perilous as well, as the places we were rushing through were blazing with fire. A couple beams nearly fell on me, but I jumped out of the way of both of them, then I just nearly dodged and maneuvered past falling, flaming wood splinters then I continued down the corridors.

I moved down this passageway, not too far from the gateway that served as Erich's position. As I jumped over a beam with fire furiously raging from it, Mischa soon lead me to a tower. I would become more cautious now, but I would remain fearless nevertheless as I entered.

Following Mischa into the tower, I went up the stairs, right until we came to a door... And once opening the door, I came to the room just near the top of the tower, where I found my relief...

"Vylkalev." I stated, relieved to find him.

Vylkalev was in this room, seemingly unconscious for he just lay there. The room had a few stacks of crates spread around, as well as a balcony overseeing the room from just a very short distance. I stood on the balcony, and just started carefully entering through the doorway to get to Vylkalev.

Still, it was lucky I had Mischa with me, for I wouldn't have even noticed that Hershing had hid himself behind the doorway as I walked in, aiming his STG 44 rifle at me from behind... Luckily, Mischa did notice, and whether to protect me or get back at him for earlier, Mischa jumped and bit Hershing's right arm. As the dog kept biting his arm, an angry Hershing turned and kicked Mischa right out the entrance before slamming the door close.

Hershing turned back to aim at me, but I charged and clashed my PPSH against his rifle. As we struggled hard, Hershing managed to swipe the PPSH out of my hands, the gun going down the short stairs from the balcony. However, I then seized hold of his rifle with my hands, and as we both held onto the gun, Hershing and I wrestled fiercely and hard for the rifle. We kept wrestling for the gun in vicious fighting, each of us struggling to pull the rifle away from each other, but we just kept wrestling very hard. After much fierce struggling, we wrestled viciously over the rifle, and as we both held onto the gun, Hershing managed to kick me down the short stairs from the balcony leading to the floor just a very short distance below.

Once getting to the floor, I got up and rushed to grab my PPSH, just as Hershing aimed his STG 44 over the side of the balcony. I rushed to cover as he fired at me, then I aimed and fired back as he kept firing. We both kept firing fiercely at one another, each of us dodging the other's shots. Hershing especially, was very hard to hit, as he proved to be quite maneuverable. However, I kept firing and dodging his return shots.

I fired at him, but he dodged the volley and fired back, driving me to cover. As he rained bullets over me, I looked over to see Vylkalev still unconscious, so I aimed and fired back at Hershing, driving him to cover. As I shot up his cover piece, he aimed and fired at me, but I dodged the bullets and then kept firing more shots at him.

We both kept firing more intense, furious shots at each other. A midst the chaos, I dodged a couple of Hershing's deadly volleys, then I fired fiery PPSH shots that riddled another one of his cover pieces, then I fired at him. He simply fired back and drove me to cover, but after dodging his fire, I fired back and drove him to cover. The two of us kept firing intense shots at one another, but as the battle raged, I dodged a volley and then fired shots that razed apart his last cover piece... But he wasn't done yet.

With that, the two of us kept firing intense shots at one another until Hershing apparently ran out of ammunition... So he instead went over to man the mounted MG 42 gun on the balcony, and that's when he started firing again.

Hershing blazed the machine gun furiously, raining powerful rapid bullets over me that ripped through my cover like a roaring buzz saw. Still, I continued to still make use of my cover and fired shots at him in return, but he kept raining heavy shots at me. However, I still fired and shot up his position, trying to fend off his powerful attacks, then I evaded some heavy volley to fire more shots that raked his position, diminishing his gun shield. As I kept dodging his intense shots, we both kept firing at one another, and as I kept shooting, I finally shot up his position to the point that he had to abandon the post, and jumped down from the balcony.

...And with that, the two of us charged at each other...

Hershing and I engaged in vicious fighting, with me seizing hold of his rifle and we struggled greatly. The two of us wrestled very hard and fierce over this rifle, each trying to pull the gun out of each other's hands. Still, we kept viciously wrestling for the gun, and after much hard struggling, we both swiped the rifle out of each other's hands.

Our fight only got more brutal, for with anger, I furiously seized his throat with both hands, causing his cap to fall off. He instead, grasped my arms and after a struggle, I lost my grip on his throat. We both seized each other's arms and fiercely wrestled one another in a vicious battle. Hershing and I kept fighting in fierce, hard wrestling, each holding on to the other's arms, each of us pushing against each other. In much hard struggling, we kept wrestling viciously until we lost our grip on the other's arms.

With that, I tried to throw my fist at Hershing, but he blocked the punch with his arm. He then took out his dagger with his other hand and lunged it at me, but I seized his wrist holding the blade. In a struggle, we rushed each other against the wall, with Hershing ultimately furiously pressing his forearm hard on my throat as I was against the wall, then he used his other hand to try and bring the knife to me. However, I grabbed his other wrist and put almost all my strength to push the knife away, while my other hand was grasped tightly on his other arm pressed against my neck, and he either tried to stab me or choke me.

We struggled fiercely, with me pushing his arms away as I gave him a furious glare that he responded to with a twisted, sadistic grin. However, I managed to push him back and get away from his grip, just before ramming my shoulder at his chest, sending him back.

In much angry fury, I charged and grappled his arms, rushing him against the wall hard, then I furiously threw him against another wall. I then saw a coiled chain sitting on a crate, so I picked it up and angrily threw it at Hershing, who dodged the chain as it slammed hard against the wall.

With that, we charged at each other, with us grappling each other's arms, then he tried to bring his dagger on me, but I seized hold of his wrist. With my hands seized on his left arm and his right wrist, while his left arm grappled on my right arm, then Hershing and I wrestled viciously, struggling very hard as I tried pushing away the knife. As the two of us kept fiercely wrestling, Hershing kept pushing with immense strength to bring the knife on me, while I pushed back with just as much furious strength. As we kept engaging in much vicious wrestling, I eventually started pushing the knife away from me, and after hard struggling, I got the knife even further away.

A midst our struggle, as we were against the wall, still wrestling hard, I placed my hand on the side of his head and rammed it against the wall, then I took his wrist and slammed it furiously against the wall, letting me swipe the knife away as he lost his grip on it.

However, he wasn't finished yet, as with a confident smile, Hershing placed his boot on my stomach and kicked me back, causing me to fall over by some crates and land on my side, becoming a bit dazed as Hershing moved in.

Hershing went over and seized a long fire axe off the wall near him, then walked menacingly towards me as I lay on my side and looked up. I saw him stand before me, wielding the fire axe, just raising it over to finish me off.

"...Viktor!" shouted Vylkalev as he got up, having apparently awoken, then he charged at Hershing.

Vylkalev grabbed hold of the axe as Hershing was about to bring it down on me, then as they both held onto the axe, Hershing and Vylkalev wrestled fiercely, each trying to struggle the axe out of the other's hands. While Hershing and Vylkalev were fighting and wrestling viciously for the axe in a fierce battle, I still remained dazed from being knocked to the floor, but I still tried to climb over to help.

I slowly crawled over to the two as Vylkalev kept fighting Hershing, fiercely wrestling him hard for the fire axe. As Vylkalev and Hershing kept wrestling, they managed to swipe the fire axe out of the other's hands. However, this was followed by the two seizing each other's arms, then Vylkalev and Hershing kept wrestling viciously. With each pushing against one another, Vylkalev and Hershing kept wrestling fiercely and hard, and after much struggling, they wrestled out of the other's grips.

With that, Hershing punched Vylkalev hard, then he seized his left wrist, but Vylkalev punched Hershing back. The two then seized each other's hands, and they wrestled fiercely. After much hard wrestling, they got out of each other's grips, then Hershing punched Vylkalev hard with his right fist and then punched him again with his left fist. However, Vylkalev countered this by seizing Hershing's wrist, then Vylkalev punched Hershing hard. With that, the two men seized each other's arms and kept wrestling fiercely with each other.

While Vylkalev was fighting Hershing, I tried to fight my daze as I kept slowly crawling over to try and help. A midst the chaos, Vylkalev and Hershing kept viciously wrestling each other, until Hershing threw his fist right into Vylkalev's stomach, then grabbed his arm and threw him into some crates.

Hershing then picked up his knife and went after Vylkalev, furiously seizing his throat with one hand while bringing his knife. Luckily, Vylkalev grabbed Hershing's wrist and held the knife back, while his other hand held tightly onto Hershing's arm. Hershing and Vylkalev struggled hard, with Vylkalev using all his might to push the knife away. Eventually, after much wrestling, Vylkalev swiped the knife away, then seized hold of Hershing's throat.

Vylkalev pressed his hands hard on Hershing's throat, causing blood to start streaming from the Nazi officer's mouth. However, Hershing responded by breaking Vylkalev's grip on his neck and then Hershing grabbed the fire axe and tried to bring it down on Vylkalev, but Vylkalev got a grip on the axe first.

Vylkalev and Hershing wrestled each other furiously over the fire axe, and as the brutal fighting went on, I kept crawling, starting to lose my energy since I was dazed and also tired. However, Hershing and Vylkalev kept viciously wrestling each other over the fire axe, and ultimately, they struggled it out of the other's hands... And the axe landed over near me a midst the fighting.

However, Hershing then seized his hands around Vylkalev's throat, slowly yet tightly squeezing very hard. As he strangled Vylkalev, Hershing got a sadistic, malicious smile as he tried to choke the life out of Vylkalev, blood starting to stream from the mouth of my comrade as Hershing continued to strangle him.

As Hershing kept strangling Vylkalev, I slowly started to overcome my daze and regain my strength. With that, I picked up the fire axe as Hershing continued to choke Vylkalev, then, though I stumbled first, I started to move over to them. Vylkalev tried to push Hershing back, but it was no use... But luckily, I came over, and with one sharp swing, I sliced off Hershing's left arm with the fire axe. As Hershing reeled back, I swung again, and the tip of the axe's blade actually cut his left eye.

"AAARRGH!" Hershing yelled as he stumbled back, his right hand over his eye, and then falling to his knees.

With that, I helped Vylkalev back up to his feet, then I grabbed my Model 27 pistol off the floor, as it had apparently fallen out of my holster while I was fighting Hershing. I handed the pistol to Vylkalev, who wielded it and aimed the pistol at Hershing as he was on his knees.

...But Hershing soon started becoming disturbingly calm, with a new devilish grin on his face...

"...Eh, heh heh heh heh... You think that's the end of me," Hershing said, standing back up as he looked at us, with me and Vylkalev getting prepared to fend off whatever he might attack with... But he just stood and said, "I'm the Red Ripper!"

"You, and your Reich," I said with anger through my teeth, "It will not last!"

"Can't you see it," Hershing said, "I still have much desire for killing, and burning... My work still lives, all over."

"...Is that what was awaiting in Japan for Shirasaki," I said, "More of your work? Is that why you sent him back?"

"Maybe," Hershing said, blood streaming from his mouth, "Maybe the remnants of the Reich will thrive from what they'll find in Kyoto... Maybe the Soviets will thrive on what they find here."

"What are you talking about?!" I demanded.

Hershing staggered over and picked up his dagger, then turned back to us to keep speaking, "Oh, you haven't learned yet, have you, Viktor... Stalin only wants what he wants... And what he wants is what I've been working on, and in exchange, he'll give me what I want in return."

"You're a liar." I responded, indignantly.

"Just you wait and see," Hershing said with a smirk, "More Soviets will come to this castle, and when they do, I will be given their asylum, and some of their power... Well unless..." Hershing then came over to me, holding out his dagger, but then presenting the hilt to me instead... He then placed the dagger in my hand and then came right up to me, placing his one hand on my left shoulder as I took the knife and placed it right to his stomach. I looked at him with a furious glare as he gazed at me with a devilish smile.

"...So, you Russians are now in the positions of power," Hershing taunted, "How does it feel... Yes, Viktor, It feels good."

"I will have my vengeance." I stated.

"Well, what are you waiting for," Hershing spoke, "The rest of your Red Army is getting closer, and I still have all this terror I want to spread, and you know it... But you're also curious as to what else I have, aren't you."

I didn't speak, but simply stood, looking at him with anger as he kept speaking with a cool smile, "...Well, eventually, Viktor, you'll have to be a good Communist, and-" ...But that was it, I immediately stabbed him.

I stabbed Hershing right in the stomach, causing him to lose his cool and become absolutely surprised. As I firmly plunged the knife into his stomach, I furiously twisted the blade in the wound, spilling much blood and causing him to gasp for breath, then I released the blade and shoved him down. Hershing lay there on the floor, his arm wrapped over his bloody wound as he gasped for breath... And as I stood over him, Vylkalev came up to me with a lit Molotov Cocktail... I took the Molotov and looked at it for a moment, before gazing back at Hershing, who slowly turned to me, getting to his knees... And as he looked at me, he twisted his expression into a taunting smile... And I had just about enough of this... I threw the Molotov cocktail down on him, shattering the glass and splashing flames all over him, burning him alive.

As he was being incinerated, Hershing shouted a deep sounding yell, that eventually got raspier as he continued to burn. I just noticed too, that the large hole in the wall was just behind him, so, Vylkalev walked up and placed a boot on Hershing's chest as he still remained on his knees, almost succumbing to the flames... Then, Vylkalev thrust his boot forward and pushed the dying Nazi officer out the hole in the wall, and Hershing plunged from the tower to his death... His terror was finally over...

...I stood there, finally relieved and satisfied that Hershing was gone for good... But we didn't have time to savor this just yet, for the flames burning all over this castle were now catching fire to all over this tower as well... Luckily, this tower was near the exit of the castle.

"Come, Vylkalev," I said to him before turning to the exit, "Russia awaits our return."

...Our mission, our war, was finally over...

I started to walk over to the door... But then I suddenly heard a gunshot, that stopped me... And I looked down to see a bullet wound that pierced through my stomach from behind, and causing me to fall over... I lay on the ground, my arms wrapped over my wound as I turned to find whatever enemy remained to have done this...

...But as I saw behind me, I only saw Vylkalev, my comrade... He still had the Model 27 pistol, that I saw was aimed at me, a shot recently fired as smoke flew from the barrel... Unbelievable, my own comrade...

Vylkalev walked over and knelt down next to me, with a serious glare on his face as he then spoke, "...Stalin does not want your return, Viktor... You're too much of an idealist, too unwilling to accept that these weapons now belong to us."

"...Why..." I spoke in disbelief.

"I'll tell you why," Vylkalev spoke, "After fighting with Hershing, my men needed help... I got them in a truck, made our way through Stalingrad, and I had just nearly got them to a medical station... But you... You shot us down, you shot up the truck and the crash killed my men, that's why!"

"...I thought... You were the enemy." I responded, getting angry.

"You took away my men, my most loyal comrades," Vylkalev said, just as angry, "But I will warn you... If you ever return to the Soviet Union, your family, your friends... I assure you they will suffer... But don't worry, you'll die here before even thinking of coming back."

With that, Vylkalev stood up, glared at me for a moment, then he walked out of the room, carrying my Model 27 pistol with him as he started exiting the tower, and leaving me in this room, wounded and surrounded my flames beginning to engulf the room.

...Unbelievable, my... Comrade...


	35. My True Service

... ...

... ...

"...Who are you?" the American asked.

"...I... I'm Viktor... Reznov." the Russian responded.

The two men sat at opposite ends of a desk in a very dark room, with one light hanging from the ceiling. As he listened to the other member of his conversation, the American didn't look pleased with his answer.

"No... I wanna know you're real name." the American spoke.

"...That is my name." the Russian answered.

"What is your name? Tell me what it is."

"It's Viktor Reznov!"

"No it isn't! ...Do you even remember who you are?"

"...What are you talking about?"

"Well, I know who you are."

"If you know who I am, why are you asking me?"

"Because the sooner you admit it, the sooner we can wrap this up," the American answered, "...I just want to ask you a few questions, clear a few things up, if you can remember on your own."

"...So... What do you want me to remember?"

"...Let's start with your name, your real name... Alexei Nevski."

The Russian looked surprised, but he just spoke, "...My... My name... It's Viktor-"

"Your name is Alexei Nevski," the American interrupted, "...Now tell me why you're calling yourself Viktor Reznov."

"...Because it's who I am."

"...Because it's who you're trying to become," the American stated, "I know who the real Viktor Reznov was... Why, what connection do you have to this man?"

"...He's a hero."

"Viktor Reznov was a Communist, and a loyal patriot to Russia and the Soviet Union... Yes, he was a hero, he fought very bravely to save his country... A brave hero like him... Was that who you were trying to become, did you look up to him, did you even meet him?"

"...No... I was... I was in the Arctic, I was still Nevski at that time... I met his closest friend, his closest comrade in battle... Sergeant Dimitri Petrenko... We were placed under command of Colonel Lev Kravchenko. We both fought in clearing away German defenses... But he stayed behind, while Kravchenko took me to meet his superior, Dragovich... Then there was the ship...

"...Then what?"

"We boarded the ship, found what we were looking for... But... Kravchenko, my men... Kravchenko used it to kill my squad... I managed to escape a similar fate, but then I was sent to Vorkuta... At least Dimitri was able to escape."

"Is that when you decided to embrace the image of Reznov, his looks, his mannerisms, his strengths?"

"...Reznov was gone, but I felt a need to keep his legacy alive, to fight a new evil."

"And you decided Mason was able to help with that... Why did you lie to him about your identity, why did you make him believe that you were Viktor Reznov, when you were both in Vorkuta."

"Just like you said, he had strength and he could help... That's it."

"That's it of only what you know... But I know some things too."

"What do you mean?"

"You assumed the identity of Reznov to Mason," the American explained, "...But the real Viktor Reznov didn't die. You wanna hear the full story, might as well fact check a couple things from your perspective."

"...Reznov... He's alive?" the Russian spoke.

"Reznov embarked to liberate Manchuria from the Japanese, as well as silence the Nazi presence he found there... But that part will remain a secret, for now, let's research what's wrong with your story... First, Reznov was born in Moscow in 1910, not 1913 in Leningrad like you said. He was raised in Stalingrad, fought in the war... But he never met Nikita Dragovich in his life. Dragovich was stationed in Leningrad throughout the war, where you were placed, but he was never at Stalingrad. Reznov only met Kravchenko, and only once, because Kravchenko was the one who abandoned him at Red Square... Dimitri even looked different than how you described him. The real Dimitri was a bit shorter, he was thinner, had blond hair."

"What does this matter?"

"I'm correcting what you got wrong... Dimitri was in the Arctic, but he never boarded that ship with you, then he made his way back to his home in Stalingrad... But let's get back to Reznov, the real one, who was never in the Arctic, or Vorkuta, who had never met either Mason or Dragovich in his life... Because that was your life, Nevski... You incorporated his identity into your story... The man you described to be Dimitri was actually one of your men, Tvelin."

"What happened to Reznov?"

"...He was left alone in that castle... But someone came to rescue him. He spent five years living in a village in Manchuria, but then he left for Japan. From there, he started fighting at our side."

"No, that's not true... Reznov would never sellout the Soviet Union!"

"...Don't worry, he's still loyal to Russia... He hunts those who threaten, who betray _his_ Soviet Union."

"How do you know of this?"

"We have our sources... What happened to him, that came from a Marine who fought with him in Korea... Let's get back to you. I'm not gonna judge you for lying to Mason, because I did the same thing... The truth is, Nevski, you actually were there with him in Vietnam. You were even there at Khe Sanh, following him, before you would meet him in Hue. You never did die at Vorkuta, but we made Mason believe you had, while we kept you alive with us... But I'm not going into details about that right now."

"...Why are you telling me this?"

"...Just curious," the American said, before leaning in closer and revealing his eyes covered by dark shades, "...I saw a man in Afghanistan just a few weeks ago, who rescued us... He fit Reznov's description, his age... But after he got us to safety, he left. One of my colleagues stated that if it really was Reznov, he would've stayed to explain a few things, but I know better... If he was really Reznov, he wouldn't have stayed, wouldn't have needed to explain anything... Because like I said, he never met any of us."

"...So Viktor is alive to this day?"

"I don't know about that... I just know he lead his own life."

* * *

 _...I lay there... Unbelievable... I lay in this burning castle, the surrounding flames inching closer and closer... What am I to do here? I had fought and survived the greatest of battles throughout the war, yet in the end, I'm brought down with a gunshot delivered by such a petty grudge... Humiliating... At least my final act was ridding the threat of the Nazis to the world, to Russia, once and for all._

 _But even so, I don't know if the world still needs me... Or else I would have just died right there, if the gunshot didn't finish me, the flames would have. I don't believe in faith, or fate, an afterlife, a creator, destiny, I don't believe in any of it... But I am lucky... Just as my eyes were about to close, a shadow came near, followed by another one, a smaller one and a taller one... And as they got closer, they revealed themselves to be a very good sight of relief, the smaller shadow revealed herself to be Mischa, while the taller showed herself to be Mei Lin._

 _The Border Collie jumped over the flames to get near me, nudging me with her muzzle, and even grabbing my left arm with her mouth to try and drag me out, though she wasn't too strong to do so... Luckily, Mei Lin came over and held me in her lap, smiling with joyous relief as she caressed my head in her arms. While she was relieved for my continued survival, she knew she didn't have time to do so for long. The castle was burning and falling apart, after all._

 _I smiled back at Lin as she helped me up to my feet, then I petted Mischa and spoke to her, "Khoroshaya sobaka (Good dog)." Lin wrapped my arm over her shoulders and walked me out as fast as I could while Mischa stayed at our side... It was a rather long and worrisome trek out the exit, but we had pulled through, bursting past some flames and then we made our way onto open grass, making her way to the moat. She then wrapped her arm around me as she swam across the river surrounding the castle, with Mischa paddling at her side. Soon we reached the other side, crawling up to the coast, and then we rested for a bit as we looked back to see the burning castle._

 _...But I was still feeling sleepy, and I saw Lin becoming concerned, so she helped me to my feet and then she and Mischa were walking me again... I was resting now, so I could only know what had happened to me until I got to the village._

 _... ..._

 _Right, the village... I awoke in a bed, within a small hut, or farming house. A few bandages lay wrapped around the wounds incurred on my stomach. I awoke to actually see Mei Lin herself, no longer in her uniform, but in rather typical Chinese farm girl clothes. Once I awoke, she went over to a table and grabbed a bowl of soup before sitting down near me and handing the bowl into my hands._

 _"Here it is," Lin said calmly, with a comforting smile, "...It will help, I think."_

 _I wielded the spoon and ate some of the soup, then set it down on the nearby table as I smiled gratefully to her. As she stood back up, Lin placed a calm hand on my shoulder and said, "...I'm very relieved you're still alive, Viktor."_

 _...I then noticed a photograph on a nearby table, it showed Lin with a friend of hers, a German soldier. This German had a thin and slightly chiseled face, short and somewhat wavy hair, deep eyes and a mustache. The picture showed him and Lin smiling, with the German having a hand over her shoulder while holding a stopwatch in his other hand._

 _I asked her about this, and she told me that this German soldier was a friend, who came in 1936, and gave her and Sun the golden stopwatch, then left to fight in Africa._

 _With that, she went back outside, and I stayed and rested some more on the bed._

 _... ..._

 _Once I was fully awake, once I had healed, I remained in the isolated village with Mei Lin here in China, living here for five years, I believe. Through out this time, I helped with harvesting crops, repairing huts and other work, doing my share... Immediately, I became a very close friend with Lin, but still... I yearned for the opportunity to return to Russia, to my wife, Lilya, my two daughters... Vylkalev's threats against them still loomed in my mind.  
_

 _Still, it remained a a bit enjoyable here in the village as I spent more and more time with Lin. She was only twenty five when I met her in Manchuria of 1945. She was a very kind and intelligent young woman who worked very hard on her farm from what I saw, and though she retained some of her country's traditions, she embraced herself as a Christian. I also saw she had grown a love for my dog, Mischa, so I allowed Lin to adopt her._

 _She was once mostly concerned with helping her family, showing a particular affection for Sun, her younger brother, working jobs to help pay for his education. Once, before we entered Manchuria, she had helped her parents escape to Formosa, but her brother stayed with her in this village... Though she wore a Nationalist uniform, she remained skeptical of the Kuomintang, but she was even more worrisome of the Communists._

 _We lived in the small village together for the remaining five years until we found ourselves surrounded by Communist guerrillas, who came into the village and started razing the place. I fended them off with my PPSH and Model 27 pistol from the hut, even beating down a couple of them with my fists... But despite my best efforts to save everyone, Sun was killed protecting Lin... I could only get Lin safely out as the village burned._

 _That was it... We had to leave China, and the closest we could go to was Japan. Lin was a bit uncomfortable with this at first, considering her fight with the Japanese... But I convinced her to be able to go anyways, as it was the only close area outside of the Communist sphere._

 _With Mischa still at her side, we eventually made our way to Japan, settling down in a village on the countryside... It was actually this village where was Erich residing, living with his wife, Chiemi, for the rest of their days. They even had a son together... There was also another man who I came to know, an American Marine named Chris Miller, a veteran of the Pacific War, who came to visit the village often, and we soon became close comrades... Moreover, the Japanese villagers were very welcoming to us.  
_

 _One thing however, this was a rather isolated village from the rest of Japan's modernization, and they knew only very little of the conflict we served in... So, Chris and I, we taught them about the war, how hard we fought... And we taught them about the vicious crimes and evil that the Imperial Japanese and the Nazis committed, how they both brutally murdered tens of millions out of genocide, destroyed cities and villages, made fiendish attacks on the innocent, and why the harsh retaliation of the Allies were necessary acts of justice to stop them..._

 _Once they heard the truth, they were in disbelief... These Japanese villagers immediately felt deep remorse for what their country had done, and they understood our fight against them... Even so, they knew that the Germans and Japanese were not evil, just the regimes that ruled over them._

 _While Miller was visiting once, I sat down with him, and he explained his story... How he was fighting in the Pacific, how he is staying in Japan during the occupation... How he forgave the country. I know Miller still hates the Imperial Japanese, I know he always will... But according to him, he and Japan, "They're good." ...Yes, that's what he said..._

 _As he told me, Miller had been sharing his life with Emily Yin, a Chinese immigrant who came to Hawaii with her parents when she was ten, and soon became good friends with Chris. Since their days in high school, they've been in a relationship ever since, and he's been eager to return to her... He showed me a picture of him with the beautiful Emily._

 _As we stayed in Japan for a few months, we continued to enjoy the deep serenity, the calm beauty of the countryside, the kindness of many locals... But I still felt a need to return to Russia, find Lilya, maybe even Dimitri if they were still alive... Get them safe..._

 _My chance came when conflict erupted in Korea, and Miller was being shipped there... I decided to go with him._

 _...I said my goodbyes to Lin, and though she was sad, she was understanding. While Mischa stayed at Lin's side, I went to rescue Lilya before Vylkalev could harm them... I couldn't do it alone... I needed help, and the only help I could find right now was Miller and the United States Marine Korps... But I had to help them first, and I proved this in Korea._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Viktor Reznov_


	36. M-17: East and West - Pt 1

_Ah, finally, the war's over. Japan's defeated, and the Imperial regime has been washed away, and hopefully, democracy will change Japan for the better... I was in Japan for about a month, touring to see some of the serene tranquility of the country, or whatever was left of it... After that, I was sent with the rest of my division to China. I arrived in China, and I was welcomed by massive crowds of happy, excited Chinese. They all packed the streets, cheering for us as we came in to liberate them from the occupation of the Japs. They were so eager to show their appreciation, cheering us on, or helping us with our operations and chores... This jubilant welcome from the Chinese must have out shown any welcome from anywhere in the whole war._

 _However, while I enjoyed a mostly comfortable time there in China, it wasn't without its tension. The Nationalists and the Reds decided to continue their civil war for control of China, and while we were here, we Marines got caught up in the middle of it. I have seen fighting off ambushes and raids from Red Chinese, mostly in fierce skirmishes around Tientsin and Hsin Ho, and fighting some actions in the countryside. After that, however, I returned to be greeted by the warm, helpful embrace of the Chinese locals._

 _With that, two years went by and I was finally ordered to leave. I returned to Hawaii, and I finally got reunited with Emily, the best welcome I could ever get. After a year when I finally returned to my home in Lihue, Emily and I were finally married, and I just knew it would last... However, as a couple more years went, I somehow knew that another war would be needing my attention, this soon, since the Reds won control of China._

 _I was sent to Japan for a couple months, amazed at how the country was rebuilt. I would visit a couple friendly villages often during my short time there... One man I met there, a Russian named Viktor, would soon be more than helpful throughout the rest of my life... He came with me as my division was shipped to Korea, to drive the Communists out. The Red Chinese had soon entered the war, but with the experience I had fighting them in China, I could handle them... Viktor had taken on a Marine uniform and joined us in the fighting, while I lead him and a fellow Marine from the war, Erik Polonsky, as we fought in Korea... In yet another war._

 _Sincerely,  
_

 _Sergeant Chris Miller_

* * *

 _A new war is raging... This time, our former allies, the Russians, the Chinese, were now our enemies, and just five years ago, they were helping us against the Fascists. We came to Korea, helping to drive the Communists out, now we were stuck fighting off an invasion of Korea by the Chinese. After fighting the Chinese at the Chongchon River, we lead our regiment towards this place Chosin, where we were to help defend positions and cover the retreat of the UN forces from the area. Our goal will be to hold this hill for as long as we can, tie the Chinese down, so that the others can escape... With our new comrade at our side, we will hold, no matter how many they send at us._

 **'East and West'**

 **Changjin, Korea**

 **December 7, 1950**

 **Sgt. Chris Miller**

 **1st Marine Division**

I stood on this hill in Korea, in Changjin county. I looked around to see all the numerous different Marines positioning themselves in different trenches and nests, aiming their guns and getting ready for any Chinese assaults. It was still grass covered around here, fortunately, as much of the county was covered in snow.

With the Marines readying their guns, I stood and oversaw the grass covered hill and surrounding terrain. I then took off my M1 helmet and looked at the photograph I kept inside of it. The photograph showed me and the love of my life, Emily, together and smiling... Emily always looked very beautiful.

Suddenly, a man walked up to me, a Russian with a full mustache and a small beard, wearing an American Marine outfit, with green khaki clothes. His jacket was left unbuttoned at the top as he wore a pouch bandolier slung over his shoulder, and he wore an M1 helmet with a camouflaged cover, while holding a PPSH in his hand.

...His name was Viktor Reznov, the Russian who defected over to us.

Reznov placed a hand on my shoulder as I continued to look at the photo of me and Emily together. She was slender, stood just about my height and usually wore her black hair with full, blunt, choppy bangs, covering her entire forehead. As I looked into her lovely eyes, I just wished to get back her.

"You're married now, yes?" Reznov asked.

"Yeah," I replied, "Ever since she came over from China, we've been very close... Now I'm finally married to her... I just wanna get back to Hawaii with her, that's my home."

"...Well, I'm glad you have a home, Chris." Reznov spoke.

"No worries, Vik," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "You'll be back with Lilya... They'll be fine, I'm sure."

"...I hope so." Reznov spoke.

That's when the the voice of a young female Chinese operative spoke over the Communist loudspeakers, who would talk to us often in a very sweet, delicate and polite feminine voice, just absolutely heavenly, even though we didn't like any of her preaching, we still loved hearing that voice... For me, her voice reminded me of Emily... We ultimately gave her the name 'Shanghai Shirley.'

"American soldiers," 'Shirley' began speaking, "Please lower your weapons, this is not your war... You must realize, Americans, that we Chinese are your true friends, and like you, we all want peace... We wish you no harm at all, for the Chinese are here to liberate all of you, care for you, free you from the misery and suffering of this hopeless and senseless war... You are young, brave, intelligent men of a great country, who are sent here by corrupt leaders in the freezing cold to starve and die... We Chinese will give you much good hot food, skilled medical attention, warm clothes, nice safe shelter to sleep and sound protection... Please Americans, you are young, I am young, and we all want peace and something to live for. The Chinese really are your greatest, closest friends, Americans, and we will help you in your time of crisis if you let us... Brave, honorable American soldiers, join your Chinese comrades... Our well disciplined troops understand your suffering, and will treat you all with sincere compassion and respect."

I put my helmet back on and then picked up my Thompson, and as Reznov held onto his PPSH, we both walked over to a nearby position where I found two Marines playing catch with a baseball. One was named Tanaka, a Nisei who I knew as a friend from Lihue, for I helped him and his family with their fishing boat. The other Marine was a young veteran who fought at my side in the Pacific, the blond haired Erik Polonsky, who was now a Corporal... The two Marines continued to toss the baseball to each other as we walked over.

'Shirley' was still speaking through the loudspeakers, "Communism is not your enemy, your true enemy is the corrupt, greedy leaders of Wall Street and Washington, who are manipulating and lying to you by sending you here to freeze in the cold, to starve, to watch your own friends be blown to pieces by war machines, just to fight a bloody, senseless war for their own selfish power hungry benefit, men like bloodthirsty savage MacArther intent on, not protecting your great country, but his own ego, and his false puppet, Rhee Syngman, who persecutes his own Koreans, the people you're so selflessly trying to protect. Do men like this deserve your loyalty? Are they really worth dying for... Please surrender, there is no shame in that. Surrender, and we will show you that Communism is not your enemy, but instead, a system that will help you restore the values of your great country of America that your leaders are trying to twist... Come over to our side, brave Americans, embrace our system, and together, we will bring true greatness to your country..."

"Hey, how are ya', Chris?" Tanaka spoke, "Liken' it here?"

"I can't believe I'm back here again," I spoke, "All my life, I've lived in Hawaii... I should be back in Lihue."

"Same here," Tanaka responded, "But, I would like to show that pretty Shirley a night on the town."

"How do ya' know that she's pretty?" Polonsky asked, tossing the ball.

"Come on now, Erik," Tanaka said, tossing the ball back, "A voice like that is at least worth something."

"Please Americans," 'Shirley' kept speaking to us over the loudspeakers, her tone starting to sound more personal, "We wish you no harm at all, we wish to liberate you. We Chinese are your friends and we wish to help you all, to free you from this senselessness, for we all want harmony... Please, at the very least, consider this."

That was when our commander, Colonel Johnson, stood over us, speaking, "Now I don't want you boys giving in to that nonsense... The Chinese are the enemy, and I want you all to kill as many of those dirty pigs as you find?!"

"When are they comin' here?" Tanaka asked.

"I'm not sure," I stated, pointing to a direction, "Intel says they'll likely come from that direction. If the past is any evidence, the bastards will send strike teams in short attacks to try and break our lines, then the rest of their forces will follow up, with a great many of them."

"How many hordes are there in a Chinese platoon?" Tanaka said jokingly.

"You all just keep firing and killing as many as possible," I kept speaking, "We'll hold this hill for a while until we get the order to retreat with the rest... I want you to kill any of those bastards who try to come here!"

"I'll be ready for 'em." Polonsky said eagerly.

As we started getting to our posts, suddenly, a Marine started announcing to everyone, "The Chinese are coming at us! Everyone, get to your positions and hold them off!"

"Shit," I said, "Everyone, get to your positions!"

Immediately, all us Marines got to our positions, with some Marines getting into nests while many others lined trenches on the hill. From these trenches and positions, the Marines all aimed their guns, wielding M1 Garand rifles, Thompson SMGs, and BAR assault rifles, all waiting to defend their positions.

The Marines all lined up and positioned, ready for the upcoming battle, I readied my Thompson as Reznov wielded his PPSH, then Polonsky held onto his M1 Garand, then the three of us got into a position as Tanaka and Johnson headed up the hill to man a machine gun in a nest towards the top of the hill.

Suddenly, as we awaited in our positions, Chinese strike teams appeared, having crawled their way just a short distance away and making their fierce ambush with PPSH guns.

"Fire," I shouted, "Kill these fucking bastards!"

"Burn all these fuckers!" Polonsky said.

Reznov and I fired intense SMG fire at the Chinese strike teams ambushing us, while Polonsky fired support with his Garand rifle, with the other Marines firing immense gunfire at the attacking Chinese teams. As the Chinese soldiers fired PPSH shots at us, I fired furious Thompson fire and shot four enemies, then the Marines kept firing rifle fire that fiercely raked the Chinese soldiers. Reznov shot a few Chinese as Polonsky gunned a couple more soldiers down, then I kept firing Thompson fire and shooting four more enemies as Reznov shot a couple other soldiers. As I gunned down one more incoming enemy, Reznov and Polonsky shot up enemy positions.

The Marines kept firing and shooting several enemies, but successive Chinese strike teams kept following in their place, blazing PPSH shots and a couple even tossing RGD 33 grenades. As I gunned two soldiers down, an enemy grenade was tossed near me, but I picked it up and threw it back at the Chinese, the blast tearing the arms off one enemy and blowing the head off another. Still, as Reznov and Polonsky kept firing shots that cut a few enemies down, I shot two soldiers, then as Reznov shot a few more Chinese, I fired Thompson fire that nailed four other enemies in the fierce skirmish. As the Marines kept firing intense cover shots that raked the Chinese soldiers, I shot two enemies as Polonsky gunned a few more soldiers down, then I shot two others coming at us.

The skirmish kept raging as we kept firing and shooting the enemy strike teams to shreds. The enemies were dispersing and trying to make use of cover, but we still shot them up, fending them off. While I gunned another soldier down, the Marines fired intense gunfire that riddled several enemies to pieces, then as they braved the enemy gunshots, the Marines kept firing and shooting up Chinese positions. Reznov shot a few enemies with PPSH fire as I gunned two more soldiers down. Polonsky then shot a couple soldiers as I fired and shot two more enemies. With the Marines firing intense cover fire that raked the Chinese, and with us braving enemy PPSH shots, I shot another soldier as Reznov gunned a couple more enemies down.

After fighting in this fierce skirmish, the Chinese ambushes became severely diminished as we kept firing gunfire on them... Soon, the Chinese started to fall back, as they saw their attack not working, and they ran back.

"Yeah! Run, you cowards!" Polonsky shouted to the retreating Chinese.

"They'll be back," Reznov said, "The rest of their forces will come in eventually... Prepare to hold off those svoloches and drive them away from the hill!"

"Vik is right, men," I said, "Get ready to fend off their main assault!"

With that, the Marines cheered before they then reloaded and readied their guns before taking positions again, all aiming at the terrain before us. Reznov, Polonsky and I moved to a trench line on the Northern side of the hill, taking position there with many other Marines to get ready for the next enemy assault... Soon, the sound of bugles in the distance was heard, and we started seeing countless Chinese troops coming at us from the North.

"Shit, here they come!" a Marine said.

Tanaka and Johnson were blazing tense supporting fire from their machine gun nest at the top of the hill. I waited to give the order to fire, wanting the enemies to get close first, and as they did, I could see the Chinese, all in their tan uniforms and wearing ushankas and Mao caps. The Chinese were all armed with PPSH guns, Mosin rifles and DP 28 guns... There were hordes of enemies swarming at us, but we all remained fearless and held our ground, just waiting and waiting until I gave the order... And once the enemies were close enough, I did just that.

"Fire on them," I ordered, "Defend these positions, men!"

"Send them all to Hell!" Reznov said, firing his PPSH, "Raze these bastards!"

Immediately, the Marines lining the trenches and nests all fired immense hails of gunfire at the Chinese, shooting numerous enemies to shreds as vicious fighting raged. Reznov and I fired furious SMG fire and shot multiple Chinese, as Polonsky fired his rifle and nailed a few enemies as well, then the line of Marines kept firing intense gunfire that riddled and cut numerous more Chinese to pieces in the vicious battle. As the fierce fighting raged, I fired intense Thompson fire and shot six Chinese, then Reznov shot several more enemies with PPSH fire as I kept firing Thompson fire and shooting five more Chinese. The trench lines of Marines kept firing intense rifle fire that shot multiple Chinese, while the different positions of Marines fired fiery covering fire that raked and pinned other enemies. Polonsky gunned a few soldiers down as Reznov and I kept firing shots that riddled enemy soldiers and positions. I fired more Thompson fire and shot six more enemies as the Marines kept firing immense gunfire that shot numerous Chinese, then Reznov fired PPSH fire that nailed several enemies. As we Marines kept fighting, I fired shot that nailed five enemies as the line Marines fired more fierce rifle fire that shot multiple enemies in the fierce fighting, then as Reznov and Polonsky fired cover shots, I fired more SMG fire and shot five more Chinese as the Marines in the trenches and position fired fierce cover fire that furiously raked and pinned incoming Chinese.

With the fierce battle raging in great intensity, I kept firing Thompson fire which nailed six Chinese, then the Marines kept firing hails of fiery gunfire that cut multiple Chinese to pieces, some bullets ripping limbs and flesh off of enemies. While Reznov shot a few enemies with his PPSH as Polonsky gunned a couple other soldiers down as well, the line Marines kept firing rifle fire that shot numerous Chinese in the fierce battle, then I shot five more enemies with Thompson fire as Reznov fired cover shots. However, the enemies fired some shots that nailed several Marines, so I gunned two enemies down as Reznov shot a couple more Chinese, then I fired and nailed five other Chinese as well. Polonsky shot a few other Chinese as the Marines kept firing immense gunfire that riddled enemy positions, raking and pinning the enemy soldiers. As I shot two enemies, the Marines fired more immense gunfire that nailed multiple Chinese, then I gunned two more soldiers down as Reznov fired his PPSH and shot a few more enemies. Several more friendlies were shot by enemy gunfire, but I fired and shot five Chinese as the Marines kept firing immense gunfire and shooting numerous Chinese in the fierce fighting. As I shot two more soldiers, Reznov and Polonsky fired cover shots that raked enemies as the Marines kept firing rifle fire that riddled multiple Chinese to pieces, then I gunned two more soldiers down as Reznov shot a couple other enemies.

As the fierce battle kept raging, the Marines kept firing hails of gunfire that cut more Chinese down, while other Marines in the different positions fired cover fire that raked and pinned more incoming enemies. I shot five Chinese with Thompson fire as Reznov and Polonsky fired and nailed several other enemies, then I gunned two soldiers down. As the line of Marines kept firing shots that furiously riddled Chinese positions, enemy soldiers shot a few Marines, so in retaliation, I fired and nailed five more enemies while Reznov shot a few Chinese with PPSH fire as well, then Polonsky gunned a couple soldiers down. The Marines fired immense gunfire and shot numerous Chinese in the fierce fighting, then I gunned two soldiers down as Reznov fired and shot a few more enemies, then I shot two other enemies as the Marines kept firing shots that raked and pinned incoming Chinese. Polonsky shot a few more Chinese with Garand fire as I fired and shot five more enemies in the vicious battle, then the Marines fired immense gunfire that cut multiple Chinese to pieces. With the enemies raining gunshot over us, Reznov gunned a couple enemies down as I shot two more soldiers, then the line of Marines fired intense rifle fire that riddled and ripped multiple Chinese to shreds, with other Marines firing shots that raked Chinese positions.

The Chinese assault here was beginning to diminish as we kept firing and fighting hard to hold our positions. Still, the Chinese still pressed on with their ambushes even as we kept raining withering fire on them, but we kept holding on even more stubbornly. With the Marines firing intense gunfire that furiously riddled Chinese positions, I fired and shot five enemies, but Chinese soldiers fired and shot several friendlies as well. In response, Reznov and I fired SMG fire and furiously shot up multiple enemies and their positions, then as Polonsky shot a few enemies, the Marines fired immense hails of gunfire that shot numerous Chinese to pieces, some bullets ripping off limbs in a gory display. Reznov fired PPSH fire and shot a few Chinese as I fired Thompson shots that nailed six more enemies, while Polonsky gunned a couple soldiers down as well. As vicious fighting kept raging, the Marines all kept firing intense rifle fire that shot multiple Chinese, then I fired and shot five more enemies as Reznov fired PPSH fire that nailed several Chinese, all while the Marines kept firing gunfire that raked and pinned the Chinese positions and soldiers, further diminishing their offensive.

"Shit, defend these fucking positions," I shouted, firing my Thompson, "Kill these filthy bastards!"

"Come here and die!" Polonsky shouted, "I'll drive you all to Hell!"

"Rip these svoloches to shreds, Comrades!" Reznov shouted, firing his PPSH.

We Marines all kept fighting very hard, firing hails of gunfire that cut more Chinese down as we stubbornly held on, with Reznov and I firing tense SMG fire that shot numerous enemies as Polonsky fired cover with his Garand. Eventually, after much fierce, hard fighting, we had driven off the enemy assault coming at our Northern side... Only for another problem to come in another direction.

"Shit, the Chinamen are coming at our Southern side," a Marine warned, "Let's get over there and stop those bastards!"

"We're finished here," I ordered, "Let's get to the Southern line and hold it!"

Immediately, the Marines all followed, Reznov, Polonsky and I as we headed for the Southern side of the hill. Once reaching this end, the Marines all positioned themselves in the trenches and nests at this side, aiming their guns as more Chinese forces started to come at us from the South.

"You men give cover fire," I ordered, "All of you, fire and hold these positions!"

While Tanaka and Johnson still giving supporting fire with their machine gun, Reznov, Polonsky and I took positions in the trench with the rest of the Marines at the Southern side. With that, I gave the order for us to engage the enemies as a ferocious battle began to ensue right here.

"Shit, fire," I shouted, firing my Thompson, "Kill these fucking bastards!"

"Die, you son of a bitch!" Polonsky shouted furiously.

The Chinese forces came in, and immediately, all the Marines were firing hails of intense gunfire that ripped and riddled numerous Chinese to gory pieces, bullets shredding off flesh. In the vicious fighting, I fired Thompson fire that shot five Chinese soldiers as Reznov shot a few more enemies with PPSH fire, then the Marines kept firing immense rifle fire that cut multiple more Chinese to shreds. As Reznov and I fired cover shots that furiously riddled Chinese positions, Polonsky shot a few soldiers as well, but the Chinese fired shots back that nailed a few friendlies. In retaliation, the Marines fired intense gunfire that furiously raked the Chinese positions and soldiers, pinning them, then as Reznov fired PPSH fire and shot several enemies, I fired more Thompson fire which riddled six more Chinese, then Polonsky gunned a couple other soldiers down. A few more Marines were shot, but Reznov and I kept firing intense cover fire that raked enemy positions, letting the Marines keep firing hails of fiery rifle fire that riddled multiple Chinese in the fierce battle. Still, enemies kept coming, so we Marines kept holding on as fiercely as possible. As Polonsky fired cover, Reznov shot a few more enemies with PPSH fire as I fired Thompson shots that nailed five more enemies, then the Marines fired gunfire that fiercely raked Chinese positions.

More enemy troops kept coming at us, so I gunned two enemies down as Reznov shot a few other soldiers, then I fired Thompson shots that nailed five more Chinese. Fierce, intense fighting raged as the lines of Marines kept firing immense hails of fiery intense rifle fire that riddled and ripped numerous Chinese to shreds in vicious fighting, then the Marines kept firing intense gunfire that raked and pinned Chinese positions. Reznov and Polonsky fired cover shots that raked several enemies while I fired Thompson fire which riddled six Chinese in the vicious battle, then the line of Marines kept firing more fiery gunfire that shot numerous more Chinese enemies. However, as the Marines fired cover shots from their nests at Chinese positions, enemy soldiers fired shots that nailed several Marines. In response, I gunned two soldiers down as Polonsky fired and nailed a few enemies, then I aimed and shot two more soldiers. With the Marines firing rifle fire that shot up more Chinese positions and soldiers I fired Thompson fire and shot five Chinese as Reznov fired and nailed several more enemies with PPSH fire, then I shot two more soldiers coming at us as the vicious fighting raged furiously.

We kept fighting very hard to drive the Chinese forces off, and though they just kept coming towards us, their assault on this side was beginning to dwindle, so we kept up the defense. Reznov and I fired intense SMG fire which riddled multiple Chinese as Polonsky fired his Garand rifle and nailed several other enemies, then the Marines kept firing intense gunfire that shot multiple Chinese in the vicious battle. While the enemies still rained shots at us, I gunned two enemies down, then Reznov shot a few other soldiers, while the Marines kept firing shots that raked enemy positions. As Polonsky shot a few soldiers, I fired and shot five more enemies while Reznov fired PPSH fire that nailed several other Chinese, then I kept firing Thompson fire which riddled five more Chinese as well. In the fierce fighting, as Polonsky gunned a couple soldiers down as I shot two enemies, then as the line of Marines kept firing intense hails of fiery rifle fire that shot numerous enemies, I fired Thompson fire and nailed five more enemies. The Marines kept firing shots that raked enemy positions as I gunned two soldiers down, then as Reznov shot a few Chinese, I aimed and shot two more enemies.

"Fire on these Red fuckers," a Marine shouted, "Cut them to shreds!"

"I'll kill you filthy bastards!" another Marine shouted at the Chinese, firing his gun.

"Defend these positions," a third Marine said, "Hold them off!"

The battle raged until the enemy force became severely diminished, then after much hard, vicious fighting, the Chinese here had enough. They all fell back, and we kept shooting at them until most were gone... This side was finished and secured.

"Ha, those cowardly Chinese are runnin' off!" Polonsky exclaimed jubilantly.

"More of 'em, comin' at the West!" a Marine suddenly warned.

Immediately, we Marines all rushed over towards the Western side, and once we got there, we all entered the trenches and nests situated here. With all of us Marines in positions in the nests and trenches, more swarms of Chinese troops came at us.

"Shit," I said, readying my Thompson, "Fire and fend them off!"

"Chyort, burn these svoloches!" Reznov shouted.

"Kill these dirty fucking Chinese bastards!" I said, firing my Thompson.

The Chinese forces incoming, the positioned Marines all fired their rifle, firing hails of intense gunfire that shot up numerous Chinese as fierce fighting ensued, with Reznov and I firing SMG fire that nailed multiple enemies as Polonsky shot a few other soldiers with his Garand rifle. The vicious battle raged as Reznov and Polonsky fired cover that raked and pinned enemies, then I fired Thompson shots that nailed five Chinese. Enemy soldiers kept coming in, firing shots that gunned several Marines down, so in response, as I fired cover fire at Chinese positions, Reznov shot a few enemies as Polonsky gunned a couple more soldiers down. As we kept fighting, the Marines kept firing immense rifle fire that shot multiple Chinese, some bullets shredding limbs off, then I fired Thompson fire and shot five more enemies. As the Marines kept firing shots at the Chinese, enemy soldiers fired and nailed a few friendlies, so Reznov shot several Chinese with PPSH fire as Polonsky gunned a few more enemies down. The lines of Marines kept firing intense gunfire that shot multiple incoming Chinese soldiers, then I fired Thompson fire which riddled six enemies in the fierce fighting.

The vicious battle raged as the Marines kept firing intense gunfire that cut numerous Chinese down, then I fired Thompson shots that riddled six enemies as Reznov shot up several more Chinese with PPSH fire. While the Marines fired more fiery rifle fire that shot multiple Chinese, I fired and shot five more enemies as Polonsky gunned a few soldiers down, then I shot two more enemies as well. Vicious fighting went on as the Marines kept firing gunfire that riddled Chinese positions and held them back, then I fired an shot five more Chinese as the fierce battle raged. Reznov shot a few Chinese, then Polonsky gunned a couple more soldiers down as I shot two other enemies. The line of Marines kept firing immense rifle fire which riddled numerous more Chinese to pieces, then I fired Thompson fire and shot six more Chinese as Reznov fired PPSH shots that nailed several enemies. With the Marines firing hails of intense gunfire that cut multiple Chinese to shreds, I gunned two soldiers down as Reznov fired and nailed a few more Chinese, then I shot two more enemies as well. With Polonsky shooting a couple more soldiers, the Marines fired more fiery gunfire that shot numerous more Chinese as I fired Thompson fire that nailed five more enemies, then Reznov shot a few other soldiers, then I gunned two more enemies down.

With fierce fighting raging, the Marines still fired gunfire that ripped at more Chinese soldiers and positions. Reznov and I fired intense SMG fire that shot numerous Chinese, while Polonsky shot a few other enemies with Garand fire. The Chinese offensive here was beginning to diminish, so we kept firing and shooting more enemies to fend them off. I gunned two soldiers down as Polonsky shot a couple more enemies, then I fired and nailed five Chinese with Thompson fire as Reznov fired cover shots that raked enemy positions. A midst the fierce battle, the Marines kept firing immense rifle fire that shot multiple Chinese in the fierce fighting, with me firing shots which riddled five Chinese while the Marines were still firing intense shots that raked enemy positions. Reznov shot several Chinese with PPSH fire as I gunned two more soldiers down, then as Polonsky fired and nailed a few other enemies, I fired and shot five more Chinese in the fierce fighting. With the enemies still pressing on, the Marines kept bravely fighting, firing shots to hold the back. I gunned two enemies down as Reznov shot a few more Chinese, then I fired and nailed two other soldiers. As the Marines fired immense gunfire that shot multiple Chinese, Reznov and I fired shots that riddled some enemy positions to pieces, greatly holding them off.

"I'll rip these dirty fucking bastards to pieces!" a Marine said, firing his gun.

"Send them all to Hell!" another Marine Shouted furiously.

We all still fired on the Chinese attackers, and eventually, only some enemies remained, as the enemy offensive on our Western side was crumbling. As we kept fighting, the Chinese here eventually started to fall back, and we kept up the pressure until they had all retreated.

But that wasn't the end of it, for more enemy troops started to come in at both our Northern and Eastern sides, quickly getting towards the hill from behind... Eventually, they started to climb up the hill from the North and East, so all of us Marines started moving up towards the positions at the top of the hill to get a better point at fending them off.

"Shit, they're coming up the hill from behind," I warned, "Everyone, climb the fucking hill!"

The Marines moved up as Reznov, Polonsky and I fired cover to let them get up. As the Marines climbed up the hill, the Chinese started to surround the lower base and climb towards us, so we all kept moving up the hill, with Reznov and I getting a few Marines to safety as we moved further up.

The Chinese started to get closer, but as Reznov and Polonsky fired on them to fend them off, a Marine with a flamethrower came in and sprayed flames at the Chinese, emitting blazing hot fire that incinerated a few Chinese and burned them to a crisp. Polonksy and I then got another Marine to cover as Reznov punched a Chinese soldier a twice to knock him out, then a Marine swung his gun stock and knocked down another Chinese.

The Marines all kept moving up the hill, with Reznov and I firing cover shots that raked the Chinese. Eventually, Polonsky fired cover that allowed us to move up, with Tanaka coming over to join us, armed with an M1 Carbine. As Tanaka fired cover shots at the Chinese, Polonsky started to move up towards us as Reznov and I fired SMG fire that raked Chinese positions... However, Polonsky suddenly tripped and got his boot stuck in barbed wire, and he struggled to get free as the Chinese started to move towards him.

"Shit, Erik!" I shouted in grave concern.

Immediately, Reznov, Tanaka and I rushed over towards Polonsky, with me charging and slashing down a Chinese soldier with my knife, then I got to a foxhole just before Polonsky with Reznov. While Tanaka helped Polonsky get his boot free, Reznov and I fired intense cover fire that riddled several Chinese, and though an enemy RGD 33 grenade was thrown in at us, Reznov picked it up and threw it back, the blast taking out an enemy.

Reznov and I kept firing and fending off Chinese, up until Tanaka finally got Polonsky's boot free, then they got up and started to move up the hill, calling for us to follow... However, suddenly, Tanaka was shot in the back by an enemy machine gunner, causing him to fall over at Polonsky's concern.

"Tanaka, fuck!" a despaired Polonsky said as he rushed to the Marine's side.

"Shit!" I said as I kept firing my Thompson.

Polonsky checked on Tanaka, worried for the man... But despite this, he died almost instantly. Suddenly, much anger started to be embraced by Polonsky, for he grabbed hold of his Garand rifle and started to charge past us towards the enemy.

"You fucking dirty Chinese pigs!" Polonsky shouted.

"Polonsky, get back here!" I demanded.

But he didn't listen, for Polonsky charged at the Chinese, firing wild Garand shots that riddled some Chinese soldiers. While Polonsky kept wildly firing at the incoming Chinese, Reznov and I fired SMG shots that raked Chinese positions and held some enemies back, then Polonsky charged and fired intense shots that furiously nailed a few more enemies.

As Reznov and I shot up a few more enemy positions, Polonsky wildly gunned down a couple more soldiers, then he rushed over and reached a foxhole where he kept firing wild shots at enemies. All the while, Reznov and I rushed over to get him before he fell.

"I'll kill all you filthy Chinese pigs!" Polonsky screamed.

Polonsky furiously shot a couple more soldiers, then he rushed and swung his rifle stock to knock down an enemy, just before he then charged and whacked another Chinese down hard with his rifle stock. As we both kept firing at enemies, with him knocking an enemy back with his gun, Reznov then punched the Chinese soldier hard to knock him out, while I slashed an enemy down with my knife. Meanwhile, Polonsky tackled and pinned a Chinese soldier, then the Marine was furiously beating the Chinese enemy hard with his fists.

Eventually, we reached Polonsky, and we had to drag him back by his arms back towards the top of the hill, all while a couple Marines were firing cover shots that riddled several enemies. The Marine with the flamethrower sprayed more fire that engulfed and roasted a couple more Chinese before we all then made our way towards the top of the hill, with Reznov, Polonsky and I getting to a foxhole. As Reznov and I kept firing cover shots at enemies, Polonsky picked up and angrily threw several rather large rocks at incoming Chinese soldiers.

"This is our last stand here," I said to the others, "Hold them off!"

As we got to our positions near the top of the hill, the Chinese immediately started coming at us... So we Marines fired our guns at them, firing immense hails of gunshots that fended off many enemies. I fired and shot six enemies with Thompson fire, then Reznov shot a few more enemies with PPSH fire as the Marines kept firing gunfire that riddled multiple Chinese to pieces. With the incredibly intense fighting raging, with us desperately holding on, I fired and shot five more enemies while Polonsky shot a few other soldiers, then Reznov fired PPSH fire which nailed several more Chinese. After more fighting, we started fending more of them off, but they kept coming. As Reznov and Polonsky fired cover shots, I fired my Thompson and shot five more Chinese, then the Marines all kept firing rifle fire that cut numerous more Chinese to shreds.

The vicious skirmish raged with great intensity towards the top of the hill, and more Chinese kept closing in... But we kept firing our guns and fighting very hard to fend them off... But eventually an astonishing sight of relief came as we saw American airplanes flying over head, strafing the Chinese, almost at close range. Towards the bottom of the hill, I even saw a few M26 Pershing tanks roll in and fire shells and machine gun fire that blew some of the Chinese to pieces... And that was it, they had enough, for the remaining Chinese started falling back down the hill and retreating across the land.

...The hill was ours for now...

Our victory secured, Viktor and I stood up and looked over the hill as other Marines stood to survey the hill, and express relief. Polonsky jogged down the hill, and I knew he was heading for Tanaka's body. I looked over and saw a PPSH lying on the ground, with Reznov standing near it.

"Hey, Vik," I spoke to Reznov, "Can you hand me one of those?"

As he held his own PPSH in his left hand, Reznov reached for and took the other PPSH off the ground, then walked over and handed it to me. I slung my Thompson over my shoulder and wielded the PPSH, looking to fight again with the weapon.

"You will enjoy it, I'm sure." Reznov stated.

Meanwhile, Johnson had just finished speaking on a radio nearby, and he got up and walked over to us. Immediately, Johnson spoke, "Miller, there's a village just a couple miles to the North East, serving as the supply route for the Chinese. If we can take it out, we can slow their advance through here, and allow more time for the rest of our boys to get out of the area."

"And you want me to strike it?" I said.

"Right on the money," Johnson said, "You and the Russian take some of the men, and get to that village, seize it, destroy their supplies, and then we'll move to get you all out. We'll also give you one of the Pershing tanks for support... Good luck, Miller."

"I'll get it done, sir." I said.

"...Oh, Miller," Johnson started speaking, "...I'm sorry about Tanaka..."

I simply nodded solemnly and then Reznov and I headed down towards the hill, and soon enough, we found Polonsky, crouching down next to Tanaka's body to a sad look. I went over and knelt down next to Tanaka well, placing a hand on the shoulder of my friend's body as I kept a solemn expression, while Reznov stood above us, looking stoic, yet with some solace.

...He will be missed, but now, we had to strike that village.


	37. M-17: East and West - Pt 2

We were on our way to the village, the enemy supply route, where we would take out the enemy supply depots and tie down whoever tries to stop us.

Reznov and Polonsky walked by my side as numerous Marines followed me down this pathway, with the one Pershing tank rolling in from behind. As we moved down the pathway, we could eventually see the village just a distance away, so we picked up the pace a little... It wouldn't be long before our first contact.

"Sir, someone's coming up." a Marine quietly warned.

Immediately, I had my men get low and line up along this short ridge on the pathway. My men were lined along this ridge, and as I held onto my brand new PPSH, I looked over to see some people coming towards us.

Looking closer, I saw them actually to be Korean civilians, mostly old men, women and children, coming towards us, as if they were running from something... I intended to help and find out.

"Geudeul-eun balo uli dwie iss-eo (They're right behind us)!" one of the Korean civilians said.

"Nal ssoji maseyo (Please, don't shoot me)!" another Korean said, "Ulileul dowajuseyo (Help us)!"

With these civilians coming towards us, I waved my hand over for them to come closer and receive our assistance. Once they came over, Reznov and I, with several other Marines, extended our hands to help the Korean civilians up onto the short ridge, also helping them with their supplies. We Marines kept helping the Koreans onto the ridge and then sending the civilians on their way.

Once the Koreans were safely moving from the area, I lead my men down the pathway, getting closer to the village. We soon got the village closer in our sights and I got the men to crouch down as we came upon a short field leading right to the village... The terrain had some Chinese soldiers scattered around.

As my men were laying low, most of them had rifles, I gave the order for them to fix their bayonets. Once the riflemen hastened the knives to the lugs of their guns, we waited until I gave the order... Then we charged.

"Charge!" Reznov shouted as he ran at my side.

We all came out and rushed at the field to the sudden surprise of the Chinese soldiers. Some Marines fired hails of shots that cut numerous enemies down, with Reznov and I firing shots that nailed several other Chinese. I rushed and struck an enemy with my PPSH stock, while Reznov charged and hit a Chinese soldier with his PPSH stock then he punched that enemy with his right fist, then he knocked down another soldier with his PPSH stock.

As we charged, Marines rushed at and stabbed Chinese soldiers with bayonets, or knocked them down hard with gun stocks, clearing enemies out of the way. I knocked down another Chinese soldier with my gun stock as fellow Marines charged and stabbed enemies in the way with their bayonets. As Reznov and Polonsky shot a few enemies, I slashed another Chinese soldier with my knife, and as we kept charging, we killed the enemies in the field.

I lead all the Marines in rushing across the terrain, and eventually, we crossed the grasslands to reach the village that was previously just a short distance away. The Pershing tank started to follow after us as well.

"Move into the village!" I ordered.

All of us began moving into the village itself, moving through the pathways and the houses lining them... However, as we crossed into the settlement, Chinese soldiers appeared on the pathways and in the houses to try and stop us... So, we engaged in a furious skirmish to clear them all out.

"Shit, strike this fucking village," I demanded, "Finish them!"

"Raze these svoloches to Hell!" Reznov shouted.

"Kill all these filthy Chinese bastards!" I said, firing at the Chinese.

A vicious battle ensued as we Marines all fired intense rifle shots at the Chinese soldiers in the village, shooting numerous enemies as I fired PPSH fire and shot seven other Chinese in the fierce fighting. Reznov fired an shot several enemies while Polonsky gunned a few soldiers down, then I fired and shot five more enemies in a couple buildings as the Marines kept firing immense gunfire that riddled multiple Chinese in the village. As we moved up through the village pathways, fighting and firing at enemies in the houses and one the pathways within the settlement, enemy soldiers fired shots back, gunning several Marines down, but I kept firing PPSH fire which shot nine more Chinese in the vicious battle, then Reznov fired shots that nailed several other enemies. Polonsky shot a couple more soldiers as the Marines kept firing shots that raked and pinned Chinese positions, though enemies kept blazing shots that rained over us. In response, I fired PPSH fire and shot six Chinese in the village as Reznov and Polonsky fired cover shots that raked enemy position, shooting a few soldiers. As the Marines kept firing hails of fiery gunfire which shot numerous Chinese in the village houses and pathways, I fired and shot five more enemies in a couple houses as the Marines kept firing shots that fiercely raked Chinese positions.

Reznov and I kept firing PPSH shots that riddled enemy soldiers and positions in the different houses, with the Marines firing immense, fiery rifle fire that shot numerous more Chinese. We all moved up, braving the enemy gunshots raining over us and then firing at the enemies in the house windows Reznov shot a few soldiers as I fired and nailed five more enemies. The Marines fired intense rifle fire which shot multiple Chinese in the fierce fighting, then I fired PPSH fire which shot seven more enemies. Polonsky gunned a few soldiers down, then I fired and nailed five other soldiers in a couple houses, though a few Marines were shot by enemy gunfire. In response, Polonsky and I fired shots that furiously raked enemy positions as Reznov fired PPSH fire that shot several enemies in the fierce skirmish. The Marines fired immense, fiery gunfire that shot multiple enemies in the village, then I fired PPSH shots which riddled six more Chinese, while Reznov fired and shot a few other soldiers. The vicious fighting raged heavily as we Marines kept firing shots that raked enemy positions, though a few Marines were shot by enemy gunshots. In response, the Marines fired hails of intense gunfire that shot numerous Chinese, then Reznov and Polonsky shot up several enemy positions. As I fired PPSH fire which shot seven more enemies, the Marines kept firing intense, fiery rifle shot which riddled multiple Chinese and raked enemy positions to pieces in the incredibly vicious battle in the village.

The fierce fighting went on with great intensity as we all kept moving up the village pathways, firing shots that nailed enemies in the houses and pathways. Reznov shot a few soldiers with PPSH fire while Polonsky gunned a couple other enemies down. The Marines kept firing intense gunfire that shot numerous Chinese, then I fired intense PPSH fire which shot nine Chinese soldiers in the village a midst the vicious fighting. Polonsky shot a few other soldiers while I kept firing shots that nailed seven more enemies, then the Marines fired hails of fiery gunfire that shot numerous Chinese in the fierce battle. Reznov fired intense PPSH fire which shot several enemies, then I fired PPSH shots that nailed six more Chinese, all while the Marines kept firing intense rifle shots that furiously raked and pinned enemy soldiers and positions. As we all moved up, with Marines firing shots that raked enemy positions, several friendlies were shot by enemy gunshots, so Reznov and I fired intense cover shots that raked enemy positions while Polonsky gunned a couple soldiers down, then the Marines fired immense rifle fire and shot multiple enemies in the village. Braving past enemy fire, the Marines kept firing cover shots as I fired PPSH fire and shot six more enemies, then Reznov fired his PPSH and shot several other Chinese. With Reznov and Polonsky firing cover shots, the Marines all fired hails of intense gunfire that shot multiple Chinese as I fired PPSH fire and shot even more enemies.

We kept fighting through the village, just nearing the villa center, where we would find the supply depots. In fierce fighting, I fired and shot five enemies in a couple houses as Reznov shot a few other soldiers, then Polonsky gunned down a couple more enemies. The Marines fired intense shots that fiercely raked and pinned Chinese positions, then as I fired my PPSH and shot five more Chinese in a couple houses, the Marines kept firing fiery rifle shots that nailed numerous enemies in the fierce fighting. While Reznov and Polonsky fired shots that nailed several enemies, I fired PPSH fire which riddled six Chinese soldiers, then Reznov shot a few more enemies with PPSH fire as Polonsky gunned down a couple other soldiers. As enemy fire still rained all over us, the Marines all fired and shot up enemy positions, then we all moved forward. Reznov and Polonsky fired cover shots that destroyed a few positions as I then fired and shot five enemies in a couple houses, all while the Marines fired gunfire that furiously raked Chinese house positions. We kept moving forward, with Polonsky shooting a few soldiers as Reznov fired tense cover shots that destroyed a few positions. While the Marines all fired immense rifle fire that shot numerous Chinese, I fired PPSH fire which riddled six enemies as the vicious battle raged.

"Crush them," Reznov shouted, "Burn every one of them!"

"Rip these fucking dirty Chinese bastards to shreds!" I said furiously.

With the Marines firing at different enemy positions, shooting them to pieces, Reznov and I fired PPSH fire which shot multiple enemies as Polonsky fired cover, and we continued onward. After much vicious, hard fighting, we had just nearly cleared our way to the villa center.

However, once we got further in the village, two enemy DP 28 machine guns opened up and fired hails of gunshots at us, driving us to cover as the guns shot several Marines. As the enemy fire rained over us, Marines fired cover shots back at the positions... But as a Marine got out binoculars to spot the targets for the approaching Pershing, one of the machine guns shot him.

"Chyort," Reznov said, "Machine gun!"

"Miller, get those binoculars," Polonsky said, "Spot targets for the tank!"

Reznov and Polonsky fired intense cover shots that raked the machine gun positions, letting me rush over and just barely dodged a few powerful rounds to reach the foxhole of the fallen Marine and get his binoculars. It was just at this moment that the Pershing rolled in behind us, so I peered through the binoculars to spot the first machine gun, and immediately, the Pershing fired and blasted it to shreds.

Once this happened, however, the other gun blazed towards my position, so I took cover and then fired back as Polonsky and Reznov then gave their support. With that, I proceeded to spot the second machine gun with the binoculars, letting the tank aim and fire to destroy it.

"They're finished," I said, "Get to their supply holds!"

We all continued down the village pathways until we finally reached the center, which those machine guns seemed to be guarding. It was here that we found the supply depots, three of them, with different crates and barrels stacked in them. A Marine then came up to me to give me some explosives.

"Sergeant, take these and blow up those suckers." the Marine said as he handed the charges to me.

After taking the charges, I immediately ran over towards one supply depot, setting a charge and then I got to cover as the charge blew the depot to fiery smithereens. With that, I took another charge and got to a second supply depot, placing it and getting to cover before it went off, blasting the depot apart and leaving just one left.

However, some Chinese soldiers came in the village to try and stop our operation, firing gunshots towards us. In response, we Marines fired shots back that furiously raked Chinese positions and shot several enemies. I gunned two soldiers down as Reznov and Polonsky fired cover shots, then I kept firing and shooting four more Chinese in the village pathways. As Reznov shot up a couple positions and I shot two more soldiers, the Marines kept firing gunfire that riddled multiple Chinese in the fierce battle.

Polonsky gunned a couple soldiers down, then I shot two other enemies as the Marines kept firing shots that fiercely raked and pinned Chinese soldiers. Reznov fired and shot several enemies as I fired and nailed a four other soldiers, and after some fierce fighting, we eliminated the last of the attacking soldiers.

With that, I rushed over to the last depot and set a charge on one of the crates inside. Once set, I got back outside and awaited until the blast took out the depot... Our primary objective was over, now to work on the secondary.

"Finish them off," I ordered, "Clear the rest of the village!"

We moved towards the nearby end of the villa, engaging some more Chinese soldiers. The Marines fired immense gunfire that raked enemies. I gunned two soldiers down as Reznov shot up a few other enemies, then I kept firing shots that riddled more more Chinese. With the Marines firing and shooting several Chinese, Polonsky gunned a couple soldiers down while I shot two enemies, Reznov shot a couple other Chinese. Eventually, as the Marines kept firing shots that raked enemies, shooting several more Chinese, I fired shots that nailed four enemies while Reznov and Polonsky fired cover shots in support.

After fierce fighting, we got to edge of the village, where a DP 28 gun opened up on us from a house. After dodging powerful rounds, Reznov and I fired shots at the nest, then as Reznov kept firing cover, I took out my binoculars and spotted the target for the Pershing tank. Immediately, the tank blazed a shell that decimated the enemy emplacement, ridding the last of the enemy presence here.

"It's ours, boys," I said, "The village is ours!"

"Yeah, we sure showed 'em!" Polonsky exclaimed.

The Pershing tank rolled back to take position in the center of the village as my men started to take different positions in and around the villa... However, clearing the village was only the first step, and now we had to defend the settlement. Almost as soon as we took hold of the village, Chinese reinforcements that had surrounded the area started to make their assaults to try and retake it... So we rushed to fend them off.

"Shit, those Red Chinamen are trying to retake the village," I said, "Get in positions and hold them off! Kill any of 'em who try to break in!"

"They're coming in at the East," a Marine said, "Get the bastards!"

Immediately, with Reznov and Polonsky at my side, I lead all the Marines over to the Eastern side of the village to get in position and fend off the massive numbers of Chinese troops coming in towards the village. We all got in different positions in the Eastern perimeter to prepare our defense.

Once we were all positioned in houses, nests and small trenches on the Eastern side of the village, Chinese troops came at us, attempting to take the village back. As our Marines aimed their guns, I gave the order for them to engage, and a great vicious battle ensued.

"Fend them off," I said, "Rip these fucking bastards to shreds!"

"Crush them," Reznov stated, "Drive them to Hell!"

The Marines all fired intense gunfire from their positions and shot multiple Chinese, with Reznov and I firing PPSH shots that nailed several enemies, then Polonsky gunned a few more soldiers down. As fierce fighting raged, I gunned two soldiers down as Reznov shot a few other enemies with PPSH fire, then I kept firing PPSH fire that nailed more Chinese. The Marines fired immense hails of rifle fire and shot numerous Chinese in the fierce battle, then they kept firing shots that furiously raked and pinned enemy soldiers and positions. As Reznov and I fired cover fire at Chinese positions with our PPSH guns, Polonsky shot a few other enemies as I then fired PPSH fire which riddled six Chinese enemies. As enemy gunfire rained over us, the Marines kept firing intense rifle fire that riddled and cut multiple Chinese to pieces, some bullets ripping limbs off. While the fierce battle raged, I gunned two soldiers down as Reznov fired and shot five more enemies, then I fired PPSH shots that nailed five other Chinese soldiers. With the Marines firing intense gunfire that raked Chinese positions, Reznov and Polonsky fired cover fire as I shot two more enemies.

We all kept holding the Chinese off, with the Marines firing immense hails of intense, fiery rifle fire which riddled and ripped numerous Chinese to pieces in the vicious fighting, then I fired PPSH fire which shot six more enemies as Reznov shot several other Chinese with PPSH fire. In much vicious fighting, from their house and nest positions, the Marines fired more intense gunfire that shot multiple Chinese, but enemy soldiers fired shots back that nailed a few Marines as well. In retaliation, I gunned two enemies down as Reznov shot a few more soldiers, then I kept firing PPSH fire which nailed five other Chinese as Polonsky gunned a couple other soldiers down. The Marines kept firing intense gunfire that cut multiple Chinese to shreds, then Reznov and Polonsky fired cover shots as I fired and shot five more Chinese in the vicious fighting. Polonsky fired and nailed a few Chinese soldiers while I kept firing PPSH fire that nailed six more enemies as Reznov fired cover. Still, enemy soldiers fired shots that gunned several Marines down, so I gunned two enemies down as the Marines fired intense gunfire that shot numerous Chinese in the fierce battle, then Reznov fired PPSH fire which nailed several enemies. With the Marines firing shots that raked enemy positions, I fired and shot five more Chinese soldiers.

The vicious battle kept raging as we Marines kept fighting and firing hails of fierce gunfire at the incoming Chinese troops. With the Marines firing shots that raked and pinned Chinese positions and soldiers, Reznov fired PPSH fire and shot several enemies as I gunned two soldiers down, then Polonsky fired and nailed a few more soldiers while I fired PPSH shots that riddled five more enemies. Eventually, the enemy attack here started to dwindle, and we kept on defending the village's Eastern side, with the Marines firing immense rifle fire which shot numerous Chinese to shreds. I gunned two more soldiers down as Reznov fired cover that raked enemy positions, then as Polonsky shot a couple other soldiers, I fired and nailed two more enemies. A few more friendlies were gunned down by enemy shots, but Reznov and I fired cover fire that raked enemy positions, then the Marines fired intense gunfire that riddled multiple Chinese in the fierce battle. I then fired and shot five more Chinese as Reznov shot a few other enemies, then I kept firing PPSH fire that nailed five more Chinese enemies. As Reznov and Polonsky fired cover shots, I gunned two soldiers down.

"Shit! Rip these bastards to shreds!" a Marine demanded.

"I'll kill you filthy bastards!" another Marine shouted, firing his gun.

"Hold them off," a third Marine said, "Burn them!"

We Americans all kept fighting very hard and bravely fending off the Chinese assaults, firing more gunfire that raked enemy soldiers and positions, pinning them down. Eventually, the enemy troops couldn't take it anymore, and they started to fall back, and we fired on them until they were all gone.

We've finished them here!" I said with exhilaration.

"There's more of them coming at the West," a Marine said, "Let's get them!"

Immediately, I lead all the Marines in moving over towards the Western side of the village, with Reznov and Polonsky at my side as all the Marines followed. After a shot maneuvering through the small village, we Marines reached the Western side, with all the men positioning themselves in nests, small trenches and houses on the perimeter.

With that, the Marines all aimed their guns as Chinese troops came in at us, and with Reznov, Polonsky and I also in position alongside the men, I gave the order for the Marines to engage and fire on the Chinese, leading to a fierce skirmish to defend the Western side.

"Fire on them," a Marine said, "Destroy their positions!"

"Shit, kill these bastards!" another Marine shouted as he fired his gun.

In their new positions, the Marines fired intense rifle fire that cut numerous Chinese down, with Reznov and I firing shots which nailed multiple enemies as Polonsky fired cover that raked a couple positions. In the incredibly vicious battle that ensued, the Marines kept firing hails of fiery gunfire which shot numerous Chinese, then I fired and shot six enemies as Reznov shot a few other soldiers. The Chinese troops kept on coming, but we Americans bravely held on with stubborn determination, with the Marines firing intense shots that furiously raked enemy positions. In the fierce fighting, I fired PPSH fire that nailed five Chinese enemies as Reznov fired and shot several more enemies, then Polonsky gunned a few other soldiers down as the Marines kept firing intense shots that fiercely raked and pinned enemies. With Reznov and I firing intense cover shots, Polonsky gunned a couple soldiers down, then the Marines fired immense gunfire which riddled multiple Chinese to pieces as I fired PPSH fire which shot six more Chinese in the vicious fighting as Reznov fired and shot several more enemies. The Marines fired immense hails of gunfire that shot numerous Chinese in the fierce battle, with me firing PPSH fire that shot five more Chinese, then as Reznov and Polonsky fired cover shots, I fired PPSH fire which riddled five more enemies. The Marines kept firing intense rifle fire which cut multiple Chinese to pieces, then Reznov shot a few more enemies with PPSH fire.

As the Chinese kept coming in, we Marines kept bravely fending them off, firing at the enemy soldiers and cutting many of them down. The enemy attack on this Southern side of our village was beginning to dwindle greatly as we kept defending it, but it was not over yet. Marines kept firing hails of fierce rifle fire which shot numerous Chinese, then as Reznov and I shot up some enemies, the Marines kept firing tense shots that furiously raked Chinese positions. I gunned two soldiers down as Polonsky fired and nailed a few other enemies, then I shot two more soldiers as Reznov fired cover shots at a few enemy positions. With the Marines firing intense gunfire that cut multiple Chinese to shreds, I fired shot that nailed five soldiers, then Reznov shot several enemies with PPSH fire while I kept firing PPSH fire which riddled six more enemies. While I fired cover shots that raked some enemy positions, Polonsky gunned a couple soldiers down as Reznov shot a few more enemies, then I fired and nailed two other soldiers as well. With the vicious battle raging, the Marines fired more fiery rifle fire which shot multiple Chinese, then I fired shots that riddled five other enemies. With the enemy assault diminishing severely, Reznov shot a few remaining enemies as I gunned two more soldiers down, with the battle coming in our favor.

"Burn these svoloches," Reznov shouted, "Cut them to shreds!"

"Kill these fucking bastards!" I said, firing my PPSH.

"I'll slice and dice these fuckers!" Polonsky shouted.

The Chinese started to fall back as we kept up our defense, and we kept firing on them as they continued to retreat. Eventually, as the fighting here began to end in our favor, we held on until the last of the Chinese forces attacking the Western side had fully retreated.

However, even more enemy troops started to come at our Southern side, attempting to seize the village from there. Just like before, Reznov, Polonky and I lead the Marines over towards that side to confront the new Chinese assault there.

"Shit, they're ambushing the Southern side," I said, "Get there and hold it!"

We all moved over towards the South side of the village, where we found fresh new Chinese forces moving across the grassy terrain to make their assault. The Marines all positioned themselves in different nests, small trenches and houses at the Southern end's perimeter, all firing their guns at the Chinese as Reznov, Polonsky and I joined them in the defense.

"Shit! Rip these dirty bastards to shreds!" a Marine shouted furiously.

"Fire and destroy their positions!" another Marine demanded.

"I'll kill you fucking bastards!" a third Marine said as he fired his gun.

With more Chinese coming at our new positions on the Southern side of the village, Reznov and I fired shots at enemy positions, then the Marines were firing immense rifle fire which shot numerous Chinese in the fierce battle that ensued. Reznov and I shot several Chinese soldiers while Polonsky gunned a few other enemies down, then the Marines fired shots that raked several enemy positions. I gunned two soldiers down, then Reznov shot a few enemies while I fired PPSH shots that nailed five more Chinese. Enemy soldiers were raining heavy machine gun shots over us, so Reznov and I fired and shot up a few Chinese positions as the Marines kept firing gunfire that riddled multiple Chinese infantry in the fierce battle. A midst the vicious fighting, I fired and shot five Chinese, then Polonsky gunned a couple more soldiers down. While Reznov shot up as few more enemies, I gunned two other soldiers down as Polonsky shot a couple other enemies, and despite the enemy shots blazing over us, the Marines fired shots that fiercely raked Chinese positions. With me firing shots which riddled six more Chinese, the Marines fired immense rifle fire that cut numerous Chinese enemies to shreds, then as Reznov and Polonsky shot up several enemies, I gunned two other soldiers down in the intense skirmish.

The intensely vicious, hard fighting raged as Reznov and I kept firing PPSH fire which riddled multiple enemies, while Polonsky gunned a few other soldiers down, then Reznov and I shot up several enemy positions as Polonsky fired cover shots. The Chinese ambushes here were beginning to severely diminish as we Marines kept fighting them off. Yet, they still came at us, firing intense shots over us as we held on, while we Marines kept bravely holding them off. I fired PPSH fire which riddled six Chinese as Reznov shot several other enemies with PPSH fire, then Polonky gunned a couple soldiers down. In much fierce, hard fighting, the Marines fired immense gunfire that shot numerous Chinese, then as I shot five more enemies, Reznov shot a few other soldiers while the Marines kept firing rifle shots that fiercely raked and pinned Chinese positions and soldiers. Polonsky shot a couple other soldiers as Reznov fired and nailed a few more enemies, then I fired PPSH shots that nailed five other Chinese soldiers. With the fierce fighting raging, the Marines fired intense gunfire that cut multiple Chinese down, while Reznov and I fired cover shots at enemies.

"Yeah, burn you little bastards!" Polonsky shouted.

"Chyort, raze these svoloches!" Reznov said as he fired his PPSH.

After much hard fierce fighting, the Chinese started falling back, and our men were getting a bit excited and they kept firing. With us putting on more pressure, the Marines fired and fended off more Chinese ambushes, and they fell further back across the grass fields... Eventually, all the Chinese retreated back across the terrain, leaving us with victory here... But that wasn't the end of it, yet.

"Shit, they're assaulting the Northern side," a Marine said, "Get there and stop them!"

Reznov, Polonsky and I lead all the Marines over towards the Northern end, and once we reached this end, we saw Chinese troops swarming towards this perimeter. Immediately, we Marines all entered positions in houses, nests and small trenches on the North side of the village, and we all bravely engaged them to defend the settlement, firing our guns at the incoming Chinese.

"Give cover fire and defend these fucking positions!" I shouted.

"Send them all to Hell, Comrades!" Reznov spoke.

"Rip these fucking dirty bastards to shreds!" I said, firing my PPSH.

With many Chinese incoming, we Marines fired intense hails of gunfire which shot multiple enemies, then Reznov and I fired PPSH fire that nailed several other Chinese as Polonsky shot a few more soldiers. As vicious fighting raged, I fired PPSH shots that nailed five enemies while the Marines kept firing gunfire that raked and pinned enemy soldiers and positions, then Reznov shot a few more soldiers with PPSH fire as Polonsky gunned a couple other Chinese soldiers down, all while I fired cover shots. Enemy soldiers rained tense gunshots over us, so Reznov and I fired intense cover fire that shot up some positions as Polonsky fired and nailed a few more soldiers, then the Marines kept firing immense hails of fiery rifle fire that shot numerous Chinese enemies in the fierce battle. While Polonsky fired cover shots, I fired PPSH fire which riddled six Chinese as Reznov fired and shot several more enemies. Reznov and Polonsky kept firing cover shots at enemy positions as the Marines fired intense gunfire that cut multiple Chinese to shreds, then I fired my PPSH and shot five more enemies as Reznov shot a few other soldiers in the fierce fighting to hold the village.

The vicious battle raged as the Marines all kept firing fiery gunfire which furiously raked and pinned Chinese positions and soldiers, and as Reznov and I fired PPSH fire that shot several more enemies, the Marines fired intense rifle fire which riddled numerous Chinese a midst the fierce fighting. A few friendlies were shot by enemy gunshots, so I shot two soldiers as Reznov and Polonsky fired and shot a few more enemies, then I fired PPSH shots that nailed five other Chinese soldiers. The Marines kept firing immense hails of fierce gunfire which shot numerous Chinese in the vicious fighting, then I gunned two soldiers down as Polonsky shot a few other enemies. While the Marines were firing intense, fiery rifle fire which riddled multiple Chinese, I fired fierce PPSH fire which shot six Chinese as Reznov fired and shot several other enemies, then I kept firing PPSH shots that nailed five more Chinese. As the Marines were firing intense shots that fiercely raked Chinese positions, enemy soldier fired and shot a few friendlies, so I gunned two enemies down as Polonsky fired and nailed a few Chinese as well, then I shot two more soldiers as the Marines kept firing immense gunfire that shot multiple Chinese. As Reznov and Polonsky fired shots that raked enemy positions, I fired PPSH shots that nailed five enemies all while the Marines kept firing intense rifle fire which shot numerous Chinese, then I fired PPSH fire and shot six enemies as Reznov shot several more Chinese.

Our brave defense held up as we Marines kept fighting very hard to hold off the Chinese forces swarming at us from the North. Eventually, we saw their assault begin to diminish as it continued to fail in breaking through, but they kept coming, so we defiantly held on. A midst the fierce fighting, the Marines fired intense hails of gunfire that shot multiple Chinese, but enemy soldiers fired and shot several friendlies as well, so Reznov and I fired and shot some enemies in return as the Marines kept firing cover shots that furiously raked and pinned Chinese soldiers and positions. I gunned two enemies down as Polonsky shot a few other soldiers, then I kept fired PPSH shots that nailed five more Chinese while Reznov fired and shot several other enemies with PPSH shots, then I fired PPSH fire which riddled six Chinese in the vicious battle. The Marines all kept firing intense, fiery rifle fire which shot multiple Chinese as I kept firing shots that nailed five more enemies, then Polonsky gunned a couple soldiers down while Reznov fired and shot a few Chinese soldiers as well, then I shot two other enemies. The enemy assault dwindled, and the Marines kept firing immensely fierce gunfire which riddled numerous Chinese as Reznov shot several enemies with PPSH fire, then I fired my PPSH and shot five more enemies.

"Burn these bastards!" a Marine shouted, furiously.

"I'll send you all to Hell!" another Marine said to the enemy.

In much intense, fierce, hard fighting, we cut much of the Chinese forces down, and eventually, they started to fall back. We kept firing at enemies on the grassy fields surrounding the village until they had retreated completely across the land, disappearing and leaving victory for us.

"Get back to the village center!" I ordered.

Reznov, Polonsky and I all lead the Marines back to the village center, right where the Pershing tank was positioned. We all got into foxholes and sandbag lined positions surrounding the tank as we heard more bugles sound off, and more Chinese soldiers started to come towards the center.

Luckily, the Marines were all positioned in the nests and aiming their guns, with Reznov and I in a nest as Polonsky lay wait in a nearby foxhole. Soon, Chinese troops started to appear in the village pathways, coming towards the center, and we offered our resistance as a response to their ambushes.

"Hold them off!" I ordered, "Drive them away!"

The Marines fired intense gunfire that raked enemies and cut multiple Chinese down. I gunned down two soldiers as Reznov shot a few other enemies, then I fired and nailed four more Chinese. Polonsky shot a few other soldiers as Reznov and I fired cover shots, then I fired and shot four more Chinese, with Reznov firing and shooting several other enemies. The Marines fired immense shots that shot numerous Chinese as the fierce skirmish raged, and I gunned two soldiers down, then as Polonsky shot another couple enemies, I fired and nailed two more soldiers. Reznov shot a couple other soldiers as I gunned another enemy down, then the Marines fired rifle shots that nailed several Chinese.

We all kept defending our positions in the village center from the Chinese assaults through the village. As we Marines kept firing immense gunfire which riddled multiple Chinese, the Pershing tank blazed shells that blasted away several enemies. As I shot two more soldiers, the Marines kept firing cover shots that raked and pinned enemies, then I kept firing and shooting four Chinese as Reznov gunned a couple more soldiers down. Polonsky shot a few enemies as I then gunned two more soldiers down, then Reznov fired and shot a few other Chinese. The Marines fired fiery gunfire that shot several Chinese as Reznov and I fired cover shots, with me shooting four more enemies. As Polonsky fired cover, I shot two soldiers as Reznov gunned a couple other enemies down, then I shot two more Chinese a midst the fierce fighting.

As fighting kept raging, we all continued to hold the Chinese back, with the Marines firing rifle fire which shot numerous Chinese, then I fired and shot four more enemies. Reznov fired and nailed a few Chinese as I then shot two more soldiers, then as Polonsky shot a couple enemies, I gunned one other soldier down. The Marines kept firing shots that cut several more enemies down as I then shot two other soldiers, then while Reznov fired and shot a few more Chinese, I gunned two more enemies down. The Marines fired rifle fire which riddled multiple Chinese in the vicious fighting, then I fired PPSH shots that nailed four more enemies, then Reznov fired PPSH fire which shot several Chinese. As I gunned one other soldier down, Polonsky shot a couple soldiers, then Reznov fired cover as I shot two more enemies coming towards us.

The fighting raged fiercely in a hard skirmish, with me shooting two more soldiers, then Reznov gunned a couple enemies down as well as I aimed and shot another soldier. With the Marines firing shots that nailed multiple Chinese, I shot two enemies as Polonsky aimed and gunned a few soldiers down, then I fired and nailed two more soldiers while Reznov fired and shot a few more enemies with PPSH fire. Some Chinese continued to come in, so I gunned down another soldier as the Marines fired shots that furiously raked enemy troops, then I shot two more enemies. The Marines then kept firing gunfire that riddled numerous Chinese as I fired and shot four more enemies.

"Hold this fucking village!" I shouted, firing my PPSH gun.

We all kept fighting hard, with us Marines firing rifle shots that raked and pinned Chinese soldiers as the Pershing tank blazed shells that blew some of the Chinese to shreds. We all kept holding the Chinese back, but the situation just got worse, for while we held off the Chinese infantry, we saw in the short distance on the village perimeter, that two enemy T-34 tanks were rolling in, firing shells at our positions.

"Chyort, T-34 tanks coming at the village!" Reznov warned.

"Shit," Polonsky spoke, "If they reach the center, it's all over!"

"Miller, direct our tank to destroy them!" Reznov said.

I managed to get to a nest with sandbags where a mounted DP 28 gun was placed, and the two T-34 tanks rolled in within short eyesight, blasting holes in a couple houses with shells, while our Pershing tank fired to hold them off. I fired PPSH shots that raked and pinned Chinese soldiers, then I took out my binoculars and peered through them to spot one of the T-34s in close enough range.

Once I spotted the target, the Pershing tank fired and struck the first T-34. The enemy tank fired back at the Pershing, but our tank kept firing another shell that hit and destroyed the first T-34. We could now move onto the second, so I took out my binoculars again.

The close by second T-34 fired and hit the Pershing, but I got the enemy armor in my sights and spotted it, letting the Pershing fire back. The friendly tank fired and struck the T-34, damaging it, but the enemy tank moved in and kept firing, striking the Pershing. Still, not giving up, the Pershing tank kept firing shells until it blasted the second and last T-34 to a smouldering ruin.

"Yes, hah!" Reznov celebrated, exuberantly.

"Tanks are down," Polonsky said, "Good work!"

"Keep fighting!" I demanded.

We all kept fighting very hard, with Marines firing immense gunfire that cut more Chinese down. As Reznov and Polonsky fired cover shots at enemies, I manned the mounted DP 28 gun and fired intense gunshots that gunned numerous enemies down. The Marines kept firing gunfire that furiously raked and pinned Chinese soldiers as I kept firing DP 28 fire that cut several more enemies down, for the Chinese were getting closer.

The fighting raged fiercer as the Chinese got close. It was so close now, that a Marine charged and tackled a Chinese soldier, and once he pinned him, the Marine was furiously beating the pinned Chinese soldier, punching the enemy hard over and over with his fists. Another Marine charged and knocked down another Chinese soldier and then beating the enemy with his rifle stock. That Marine then started beating the Chinese soldier with his fists, fiercely punching him numerous times.

As Reznov and Polonsky fired cover shots, I kept firing DP 28 fire that raked enemy positions, and the Marines fired gunfire that shot more Chinese soldiers. An enemy grenade was thrown at me, but I picked it up and threw it back, the blast taking out a couple Chinese... As the fierce skirmish raged, however, I saw Polonsky start to get a wounded Marine to safety... But as soon as he accomplished this, suddenly, a sniper had shot Polonsky in the back, causing him to fall over.

"Polonsky," I shouted in concern, "Erik!"

Reznov and I angrily fired at the Chinese, and we all kept holding our own against the swarm... But suddenly, a relief appeared in the distance. Allies in American style uniforms came in over the terrain in the distance to the right and fired gunshots at the Chinese. Better yet, they had two M4 Sherman tanks with them, blazing shells at the Chinese while the soldier fired and shot up enemies.

The Chinese started to retreat completely from this area, and these allies kept firing at them until they were out of the range of the village. As these men chased the enemies, the Chinese had finally retreated from around here, resulting in the Marines cheering and the Allies who saved us to come over towards the village to greet us.

"Hah, we did it," I said, "Everyone, cease fire, it's over."

With the Chinese forces gone, I looked over to see the men who had come to our rescue. They appeared to be African and wore American style uniforms, complete with M1 helmets and carrying M1 Garands and Carbines... Once they came over, I saw that these were Ethiopian soldiers of the Kagnew Battalion, which gave me much joy... My Marines and the Ethiopian soldiers walked over to each other to happily greet one another, while the Ethiopian officer came over to Reznov and I.

"You're sure a welcome sight." I said to the Ethiopian officer.

"And I accept your gratitude," the Ethiopian officer said as he shook my hand, then he shook Reznov's hand as well, "I am Mikele, my men and I became separated from our battalion and came upon the hill you were holding... They asked me to come and help get you out."

"Well, I really appreciate it," I said, "The supply holds are destroyed, so we're ready to leave."

Mikele and his men then started helping my Marines to evacuate from the village. I looked over and saw with concern as the wounded Polonsky was being carried away on a stretcher... The medic said he would be fine, but may have to be in a wheelchair for the remainder of his life.

As we started to all leave, Reznov then walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder to reassure me, and I started to become a bit hopeful... I was very glad to have received help from Reznov.

* * *

 _After seeing much hard fighting in the battles for Chongchon River and Chosin Reservoir, I lead my men back to the South, and Reznov and I kept fighting numerous battles and skirmishes against the Chinese in Korea. Our big break came when the two of us were fighting at Chipyong Ni, where we helped score a great victory. From there we Marines shoved the Chinese right back into the North, and we forced them into a stalemate. Reznov and I then saw fierce fighting at the ridges and then defending the Imjin River, victoriously crushing Chinese forces._

 _As the year of 1951 started to draw to a close, I was finally relieved of my service... But I still have a promise to keep to Reznov, to help him find his wife and daughters. Once we accomplish that... I'll finally return home to Hawaii, and to Emily, and I'll finally spend my life with her._

 _While I lived out my days, happily married to Emily Yin, now Emily Miller, I remembered back to the conflict in Korea. Some call it a stalemate, even a loss, but I know much better... We won the war in Korea... See, the ultimate goal of the Communists was to take all of Korea, but we succeeded in stopping them and forcing them back... We succeeded in our ultimate goal, and that's how I know we had won._


	38. Return as Heroes

_We completed our service in Korea in late 1951, finally capturing Seoul for good... Finally securing our victorious defense against the Communists, and forcing them back to the original separating line._

 _After fighting battles in central Korea in late 1951, and then finally pushing the Chinese back into the North, Miller's service was finally up... But he decided to do just one last thing, this one for me... With the help of a couple pilots, we had hijacked a captured Soviet Tupolev Tu-2 and flew it over and landed near Stalingrad, my wife's home... All low level... Hopefully, I could rush in and out before Vylkalev suspected...  
_

 _I made my way through the city, finally coming to my home on the outskirts, in a rather isolated part of town. I took my first steps into the house... But... What lay before me once I walked in, either Vylkalev found out or he just made good on his promise anyways... I found my family, my lovely wife Lilya, my two daughters, Irina, Galina... They lay there on the floor, their throats slit... This looked rather recent._

 _...I... I'm in shock... I fell to the floor and had my hands firmly grasping the sides of my head, just in absolute calm shock... After a moments time, I got up and looked around the house, feeling just hopeless... Soon, I came upon the bedroom, just to find another sight that made me feel even more hopeless... I opened the door and found the body of a man, hanging there on a noose... And it just got worse, for as I looked closer... I saw him to be Dimitri himself._

 _...From notes I had found, I saw Dimitri had heard what appeared to happen to me in Manchuria. He decided to stay at the side of my family, as a token of our friendship... But even he couldn't save them, nor himself, from Vylkalev._

 _...I was saddened, hopeless... Entirely disheartened... But after spending one last moment, I left the house, left Stalingrad, left Russia... There was nothing left for me here anymore..._

 _...So... I thought about it, thought of finding Vylkalev, but I don't know where he is now... All I could really do was go back to Japan, where I found Mei Lin residing once again... She was likely all I had left... Well, her and Mischa, still alive, I see._

 _Soon, after I returned, to Japan, and to Lin, we grew very close... We continued living together in the same village where Erich and Chiemi lived together on the Japanese countryside, filled with beauty and calm. These Japanese villagers were still very friendly and kind to us as we lived with them here, socializing, helping each other in our new peaceful lives. Lin still had her faith and eventually, her new acceptance of the people she once called her enemy... Looking to her, I decided to have my own forgiveness for the Germans as well.  
_

 _...Interestingly, Erich had learned of the picture of Lin with the German soldier in 1936, and asked to see it. Amazingly, Erich immediately recognized the man in the photograph... The man was his older brother, Heinrich... I guess I should have seen it, for now that I saw him with out the balaclava, Erich looked just like him._

 _Lin and I even married in 1956, and shortly after that, after saying our goodbyes to Erich and Chiemi, we left Japan, moving to the island of Hawaii. Remembering his promise, we settled right in the village near Lihue on K'auai, where Chris Miller resided, having finally married Emily Yin, and having a son with her. Lin and I settled in this Hawaiian village, with Chris and Emily serving as companionship in this beauty and serenity... This is where I lived with Mei Lin for years... She was such a terrific companion, a great partner...  
_

 _Lin and I lived happily together for years since we came to the village. Though it was sad when we first settled here, as Mischa succumbed to her age... At least she did so peacefully, but still, sad... Like Lin, she was a great companion, but another reason was that I still saw Dimitri when I looked to her... I still had Lin to live at my side, and we did... But eventually, as we kept living together in the village near Lihue, In 1981, Lin would meet the same fate..._

 _She was always thin, even as she aged, but she grew even more thin now as she lay in bed with her illness... Our last moments were peaceful, she just smiled and thanked me for sharing my life with her... Just before she passed._

 _...I sat there, feeling saddened, but remaining stoic, calm... I know I looked emotionless, but inside, still sadness..._

 _That's it, all the peace I really had left in the world was gone. Miller and Emily were still there, but all I really had was gone... Still, there was one thing left in the back of my mind... Vylkalev._

 _The Soviets just recently invaded the country Afghanistan... I secretly went there, donned the local clothing and fought the invaders of the desert country for the next five years, my former countrymen... All to find Vylkalev... I wouldn't know how I'd find him, but if I did know him that well, I'd believe that's where I'd find him... Revenge was all I had anymore..._

 _...And I found one man, a strong Englishman, who could help me..._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Viktor Reznov_

* * *

 _...Afghanistan, sand, all of it, sand and heat... Ever since I completed my entry in the Special Air Service, I've been serving here in this desert hellhole for about two years now. The pinnacle of it came in 1986, I was twenty two._

 _I was already exemplary when I joined the service, that's one of the reasons I was chosen for this mission already in my young career. But I assume I learned more from this expedition, once I met this one man, a Russian in Afghan garb. He was actually seventy six, and he was fighting as if he was still young... Must have had a very stimulating life._

 _My reason for being here, well, orders of course. I heard that there was a Soviet officer, a madman, doing something very strange there, something about missiles, and he's using Afghanistan as a staging area... Why, I don't know._

 _But this Russian, Viktor, he always remained loyal to Russia. He's not doing this for any political agenda... No, his reasons for this are all personal, one of the things I like about him. Yes, he sees the invasion by the Soviets as unjust, but he has no care for the Mujahideen, or Islam, or maybe not even Afghanistan for that matter. He has no belief in God, or the afterlife, no anticipation for a reward, nothing... All he has is one thing, getting his revenge._

 _If this one man he seeks is here, then he'll be hellbent to find him. As a fellow soldier, I feel it be my duty to help him, for I can connect, we both like getting revenge... We're very similar that way, I think I even learned some of my traits from him... Deep down, I think he also knows fighting here is the right thing._

 _Sincerely,_

 _John Price_

 _British soldier of the British Special Air Service_


	39. M-18: Passing the Torch - Pt 1

_The deserts are getting hotter here, and much has changed over these years... That makes no difference. I'm about to embark on completing my objective, the whole reason I've been here, fighting for two years. The Soviets have something very important in the city of Khost, and I intend to find it... But first, the Russians are making an assault on our positions. We'll help defend these, then move on to storm Khost... One man is determined to help me greatly, and once I complete my mission, I can help him get his vengeance.  
_

 **'Passing the Torch'**

 **Khost, Afghanistan**

 **December 6, 1986**

 **Lt. John Price**

 **22nd SAS Regiment**

I looked over the sand dunes that swept across the land, watching the tiny grains dance in the wind. I wore very similar robes to that of the Mujahideen, with a Keffiyah around my head as I gazed upon the sandy landscape. My commander, MacMillan, was often communicating with me from Pakistan, so I had that at least, but most of all, I was by myself out here, with only these guerrillas to help... And one tough old Russian here as well.

Turning back to the camp, I saw numerous Mujahideen, all in different robes and wielding Lee Enfield rifles or PPSH sub machine guns. They were all bustling and moving supplies, or inspecting their weapons. After all, we heard the Russians were coming through here to make an assault, so we had to be prepared. I walked through the camp as Mujahideen fighters prepared their guns, moved supplies or got horses moving along, while a couple trucks drove past me with a captured T-72 tank following them.

As I wielded my scoped AK-74 rifle, a Mujahideen fighter came up to me, with a beard and spectacles and wearing a turban. I recognized this man to be Hihmed, a very smart young man who would analyze situations for us.

"Our inventory." Hihmed said, handing it to me on a clip board while holding an AK-74.

I looked it over and spoke, "Seems to be in order."

"Our scouts say that the Russians our coming at us from the East," Hihmed stated, "There's a large convoy coming up the road down there, with infantry and tanks coming across this desert. We'll hold them off, then continue on to Khost."

"Good," I said, "Get the men ready."

"Yes, sir." Hihmed responded, then we went off.

I continued walking through the camp, coming toward the other side... This is where I found a man, standing by himself against the wall of a hut, with his arms crossed and smoking a cigarette. He wore a tan, v-neck robe that reached just below his knees, a green short sleeved jacket that he left unbuttoned, brown pants, black boots and a string of cloth that he wore as a belt. He had the aged white face, with a full mustache and small beard... This was him, the tough old Russian... Who's name was Viktor Reznov.

As Reznov stood there, smoking his cigarette, I went up and placed a hand on his shoulder, speaking, "Hey, you getting ready?"

Reznov took out his cigarette and gave it to me, so I could then start smoking from it. Reznov then said, "I'll be ready soon... I'm just admiring whatever might be left of this desert."

"You don't think they'll do a good job?" I asked.

"These bands want to destroy this country," Reznov stated, "Make everything a state of primitive isolation."

"And yet, you fight for them." I said.

"...The Soviets' invasion will not stand." Reznov answered, "But I have no allegiances anymore... I will not be betrayed again, all I want is vengeance."

"Is that all you think about?" I spoke.

As I stated this, Reznov grabbed his green, Keffiyah off a nearby crate and wrapped it around his head, covering his whole face and head, but only exposing his eyes, then turned towards me.

"It's all I have to think about, John." Viktor said.

"Well, if it helps me," I said, placing my hand on his shoulder, "Then you got me with you."

With his Keffiyah on, Reznov grabbed his PPSH, which I felt was actually from his service in the War itself. I threw away the cigarette and then Reznov and I turned towards the camp, just as Hihmed came running over towards us, looking worried.

"Soviet forces coming through the valley," Hihmed warned, "Let's get going!"

"Come, Reznov." I said to the man.

As Reznov held his PPSH and I wielded my scoped AK-74, we both went over with Hihmed towards the rest of the Mujahideen fighters, who were gathering supplies and ammunition, then arming themselves mostly with Lee Enfield rifles and PPSH guns, while some others got hold of AK-74 rifles and RPD machine guns to join in on the upcoming battle.

"Reznov and I will take care of the convoy coming through the Eastern road," I stated to Hihmed, "You stay here and guard the village."

"Yes, take those horses," Hihmed spoke, "May God be with you."

"Sure, Hihmed." I said.

With that, Reznov and I each climbed aboard our own horses and started riding them from the camp as a great many Mujahidden fighters followed us, mostly on foot while others rode on other horses or pickup trucks. We traveled fast across the desert terrain until we all came upon a desert ridge overlooking a long road, heading towards our base.

Disembarking from our horses, Reznov and I went over to the ridge, crouching down on the edge to watch the road. As I stood by, a fighter came over with an RPD gun and set it up on the edge by its bi-pod. Reznov manned the mounted RPD gun and aimed it at the road while I crouched next to him, aiming my own gun. Numerous Mujahidden fighters lined along this ridge with us, all aiming their guns in an ambush line... Then we awaited for the arrival of the Russian convoy.

"...Here they come." I spoke.

As the Mujahidden fighters were lined along this ridge, aiming their guns, a great force of Soviet troops started coming through the pathway below. There were many Soviet troops, all wearing tan uniforms left unbuttoned at the top to expose the white undershirt with blue stripes. Some had ammunition pouches or back packs, while either wearing SSH-60 helmets, ushankas or tan field caps, while most held AK-74 rifles while many others had RPD machine guns or Dragunov SVD rifles. Most of these soldiers walked along the road, while some rode on some of the vehicles passing with them. There were many different vehicles here, with several T-72 tanks, some supply trucks and a few jeeps.

Along with that, there were Soviet tanker soldiers, who wore tan uniforms and black boots like the others, but instead had gloves and wore Russian tanker hats and gas masks. They held either AK-74 rifles or LP0-50 flamethrowers as they each rode on or commanded the vehicles.

"Wait for it." I whispered.

The Soviet convoy inched further down the road and we all loaded our guns and concentrated our aim. Eventually, as soon as the convoy was right where we wanted them, we made our move with a sudden ferocity, taking or enemies by surprise.

"Attack!" Reznov shouted, "Raze them!"

Reznov fired his RPD gun, shooting up the now alerted convoy while I fired AK shots at enemies as well. With Reznov firing tense RPD fire at the convoy, the line of Mujahidden fighters on this ridge fired immense hails of fierce gunfire at the convoy below, shooting numerous enemies. A vicious battle ensued as the Soviet soldiers fired intense rifle fire back at our ridge positions, then Reznov fired RPD fire which shot multiple Soviets as I shot six enemies with AK fire. With the line of Mujahidden firing immense rifle fire that raked enemy positions, I gunned two soldiers down, then the Soviets kept firing hails of fierce gunfire that shot numerous friendlies. I shot four more enemies, then as the Soviets fired gunfire that fiercely raked friendly positions, the Mujahidden fired rifle fire that nailed multiple soldiers. Reznov fired RPD shots that gunned several enemies down as I gunned two soldiers down, then while the Mujahidden fired intense cover fire, I fired and shot four more enemies. The Soviets kept firing shots that nailed several friendlies, but I shot two soldiers as Reznov fired and shot some enemies, then I gunned two more soldiers down and shot up a few positions.

The fierce battle raged furiously as the line of line of Mujahidden fighters kept firing intense gunfire that shot up multiple soldiers and several vehicles. Reznov fired RPD fire that nailed several more enemies, then I fired and shot some enemies with AK fire as Reznov kept firing RPD fire which riddled multiple enemies. The Soviets fired intense rifle fire that shot numerous Mujahidden fighters in the fierce fighting, but we kept braving shots and, as Reznov and I fired cover shots at enemy positions, the Mujahidden fighters fire their guns and shot several enemies. The Soviets fired intense fire that furiously raked friendly positions, then I shot two soldiers while Reznov fired and nailed several soldiers, then I gunned two more soldiers down as the Mujahidden fired rifle fire that shot multiple Soviets and several more vehicles. An enemy machine gunner blazed and struck a few friendlies, but I aimed and shot that gunner, then as Reznov fired cover shots, I fired and shot four more soldiers. The Soviets fired more gunfire that raked and pinned friendlies, but I shot two more soldiers as Reznov fired and shot up a few other enemies, then I gunned two more soldiers down. The Mujahidden shot up several enemies and positions, then I fired and shot four more soldiers before shooting a machine gunner blazing rounds at us.

As the vicious fighting raged, we had just nearly destroyed half of the convoy, with Reznov and I firing gunfire that shot multiple enemies as the Mujahidden firing rifle shots that raked enemy positions and shot up some vehicles. As I gunned two soldiers down, Reznov fired shots that riddled several enemies while I shot four enemies with AK fire, then Reznov fired and gunned a few enemies down as I shot two more soldiers. The Soviets kept firing intense rifle fire which shot numerous Mujahidden fighters, but while I shot four soldiers, the Mujahidden fired immense gunfire that nailed multiple enemies, then I fired AK fire that shot four more enemies. Reznov shot several more soldiers as the Soviets kept firing gunfire that fiercely raked and pinned Mujahidden fighters and positions, but as an enemy machine gunner blazed rounds that struck a couple friendlies, I aimed and shot the gunner. Reznov shot a few soldiers as the Mujahidden fired their guns and shot several enemies, then Reznov fired and nailed a few Soviets.

We had just nearly destroyed the whole convoy, with Mujahidden fighters raining hails of gunfire on the convoy as the enemy soldiers kept firing their guns, desperately trying to defend their vehicles. After much intense fighting, we shot up some remaining vehicles and positions, with Reznov firing RPD fire that shot numerous enemies as I fired and nailed several soldiers. However, some enemies remained and kept fighting, determined to try and stop us. However, as the Soviets kept firing wild shots that fiercely raked friendly positions, Reznov and I fired gunfire that shot numerous enemies as the Mujahidden fighters kept firing intense rifle shots that nailed multiple soldiers. A couple T-72 tanks fired at our positions, but as Reznov and I fired cover shots, a couple fighters with RPG-7 launchers aimed at the back of the tanks and blazed rockets and blew them apart, then a couple fighters fired machine guns and shot up a few vehicles. AS the Russians fired and shot up some friendly positions, I shot several more enemies as Reznov fired RPD shots which riddled multiple Soviets, then I fired and shot several more enemies as the Mujahidden fired cover shots.

"They're finished," Reznov stated, "Keep fighting!"

"Finish off these bastards!" I said.

As we dodged and braved Russian gunfire, we kept firing rifle and machine gun shots that destroyed remaining Soviet troops and vehicles. A remaining T-72 tank fired at us, but as Reznov and I fired cover shots, a Mujahidden blazed a couple RPG rockets and destroyed the tank. Soon, after much hard fighting, we had shot up and eliminated the last of the convoy, securing our defense of this valley pathway.

"Great work, Price." Reznov complimented.

Though we already knew it, we weren't done yet, for a Mujahidden came up on a horse from behind to warn us. "The Russians are assaulting the village," Mujahidden on horseback spoke, "You and your men are needed.

"Let's get going, Viktor." I spoke.

Immediately, as the convoy was decimated, we all got up and started leaving, with Reznov picking up and brandishing his PPSH while another fighter picked up the RPD gun he had used. Back on our feet, Reznov, all the Mujahidden fighters and I started moving back across the pathways through the desert and rock formations, and we kept going until we saw the village itself... With a chaotic desert battlefield in the way.

"There's the village!" Reznov stated.

I looked upon the battlefield before me, a desert field lay here, with many different Soviet soldiers and Mujahidden fighters firing their guns at each other in fierce fighting. They were all firing hails of gunfire at one another from different positions in this desert field, but a midst the chaos, I looked over the dunes to see the village that we had to protect... With me holding my AK and Reznov wielding his PPSH, we went in.

"Clear the field, men!" I ordered.

Rushing into the desert field, Reznov and I fired intense rifle fire at enemy soldiers and positions. I fired my AK rifle and shot up a few positions and several soldiers while Reznov fired PPSH fire which shot multiple Soviets. More Russian soldiers kept coming onto the field and firing intense rifle fire which shot up numerous Mujahidden fighters and riddled several friendly positions. However, Reznov and I kept firing gunfire that shot multiple enemies while the Mujahidden fighters fired immense gunfire and shot up some of the Soviet soldiers and positions. With the enemy gunshots raining over them, the positions and small lines of Mujahidden fighters kept firing immense hails of fiery gunfire that shot up numerous enemies, while I gunned two soldiers down, then Reznov shot a few Soviets. The Russians fired intense rifle fire back and shot numerous Mujahidden, so I fired and shot four Soviets while Reznov fired PPSH fire and shot several enemies as well. As I fired AK shots that nailed four more enemies, the Soviets kept firing gunfire that raked and pinned Mujahidden fighters and positions, so I shot two soldiers as Reznov fired his PPSH and nailed several enemies as well, then I gunned two more soldiers down as the Mujahidden fired intense fiery gunfire from their positions and shot multiple Soviets.

The battle across this desert field raged as Reznov and I kept moving and fighting through it to reach the village, fending off the Soviet soldiers that attacked us from across the field. I fired and nailed four enemies that fired at me, then as Reznov shot a few other soldiers, I fired and shot up a couple positions, then shot a machine gunner as he blazed at me, while Reznov fired and shot a few more enemies. We moved further across the field and got closer to the village, but Soviet soldiers fired immense hails of fiery gunfire which shot numerous Mujahidden, so I gunned two soldiers down as Reznov fired PPSH fire which shot several enemies, then I shot four more Soviets with AK fire. With the Russians firing intense rifle shots that raked and pinned Mujahidden positions and fighters, I shot two enemies to the right, then aimed and gunned two more soldiers down to the left while Reznov fired and shot up several enemy positions. With Reznov and I firing cover fire, the Mujahidden kept firing rifle fire that nailed multiple enemies, then I shot four soldiers as Reznov fired and raked a few positions, then I shot up a couple positions as well before we kept moving across the field.

"Get to the village, Price!" Reznov ordered.

As we kept fighting through the different soldiers and positions firing at each other, Reznov and I finally got past this desert field and made our way over the large dune to oversee the village. It was a small settlement, with some mud and stone huts, a few of them bombed out, yet holding, so we all started making our way over there to defend it from the upcoming Soviet attack.

We all soon entered the village, getting into positions in the village. As we set up our defenses, with a Mujahidden setting up the RPD gun and then Reznov manning the mounted gun, Soviet forces started appearing at the edge of the village, coming at our positions.

"Here they come!" Reznov warned.

"Drive the bloody bastards off!" I stated to the men.

Reznov, the Mujahidden fighters and I lined up on stone fences and hut windows, aiming our guns at the other side of the village. With Reznov manning the mounted RPD while I wielded my AK rifle. Soon, Soviet troops started appearing at the village's other side, taking positions and firing their guns, so we fired our guns back to hold them off, starting off a fierce battle.

"Hold them off!" Reznov shouted, firing his RPD gun.

With Russian soldiers firing their guns at us from the other side of the village, we and the Mujahidden all fired immense gunfire back that shot up the enemy positions, though Soviet soldiers kept firing shots that raked friendly positions in the village. With Reznov and I firing shots that cut numerous Soviets down, the Mujahidden fired intense hails of fiery gunfire that shot multiple enemies, and then the Mujahidden fighters kept firing shots that raked the enemy positions. However, the Soviets fired immense rife fire that shot numerous friendlies, but as Reznov fired cover shots, I fired and shot several soldiers, but the Russians kept firing rifle shots that raked and pinned friendly positions. After much fighting, the Mujahidden fired rifle fire that shot numerous enemies, though the Soviets kept firing gunfire that fiercely raked friendly positions, shooting multiple friendlies in the vicious fighting. In response, Reznov and I fired gunfire which shot multiple enemies, while the Mujahidden kept firing shot that raked enemy positions.

More Soviets kept coming into the village, firing fiery shots at our positions, but as Reznov and I fired cover fire which riddled enemy positions, the Mujahidden fired intense rifle fire that shot numerous enemies in the vicious fighting. As I gunned two soldiers down, Reznov fired and shot several incoming Soviets, then I fired shots that nailed four enemies. A midst the fierce battle in the village, the Soviets kept coming in the village and firing fierce gunfire that shot up friendly positions. However, we kept braving the enemy fire, with me firing and shooting four Soviets as Reznov fired RPD fire that nailed multiple enemies, then I shot two other soldiers as the Mujahidden fired gunfire that shot multiple enemies, then I gunned two more Soviets down. The Russians all kept firing gunfire that raked friendly positions, shooting some friendlies to bloody pieces, so as Reznov fired cover shots, I fired and nailed four more enemies with AK fire, but the Soviets fired rifle shots that raked friendly positions and hot numerous friendlies. However, as Reznov fired tense cover, I shot two enemies, then Reznov shot several enemies with RPD fire as I gunned two more soldiers down.

We all kept fighting to defend the village, holding off the Soviets that just kept coming in. A midst the Soviet gunfire raining all over us, the Mujahidden kept firing intense rifle fire that shot numerous enemies, then I shot four Soviets with AK fire. Reznov fired and shot several enemies while I fired AK shots that nailed four more enemies, though the Russians kept firing gunfire that furiously raked and pinned Mujahidden fighters and positions to pieces. After much vicious fighting, we kept up our hard defense, with Reznov fired cover and shot up enemy positions as I shot two soldiers, then the Mujahidden fired immense gunfire that shot multiple Soviets. However, as Reznov shot a few more enemies, the Soviets fired intense, fiery rifle fire which shot numerous friendlies, then they kept firing shots that raked and pinned friendly positions, but Reznov fired RPD fire and shot several more enemies in the vicious fighting. I fired and shot four Soviets, then the Mujahidden kept firing gunfire that riddled more incoming Soviets, shooting up their positions. As Reznov shot a few more enemies, the Mujahidden fired intense gunfire that shot numerous Soviets, then Reznov fired RPD shots that nailed several more enemies. I gunned two soldiers down, but the Russians kept firing shots that nailed multiple friendlies.

The vicious battle raged, but our defense held up as we kept firing at the incoming Soviets. Enemy gunfire rained over us, shooting up the different huts as we held onto our positions, so we kept firing shots to fend them all off. With me shooting two soldiers, the Mujahidden shot up some enemies, then I fired AK fire that nailed four more Soviets. Reznov fired RPD fire that shot multiple enemies, and the enemy assault severely dwindled, but remaining Soviets kept on fighting, shooting up our positions. I shot two more enemies as Reznov kept firing fierce cover fire that raked enemy positions on the other side of the village, then I gunned two other soldiers down. The Soviets fired intense gunfire and shot multiple friendlies in the fierce battle, but we kept dodging and braving the enemy fire, with Reznov and I firing gunfire which riddled numerous enemies. As the enemy offensive in the village diminished, the Mujahidden fired immense rifle fire that shot numerous incoming enemies that fired at us. Reznov kept firing intense cover fire as I fired AK fire that nailed four more enemies, and we all kept fighting hard to fend off the last of the Soviets ambushing this village.

"They're nearly destroyed," I stated, "Keep it up!"

As remaining enemies kept on firing their guns at us, we all kept fighting very hard and holding this village, with us firing immense gunfire that shot up enemy soldiers and positions... Eventually, as we kept fighting, the Russians all started retreating from this village, and we had secured our positions.

"Excellent, Comrades," Reznov said, "We have won!"

However, we couldn't celebrate just yet, for soon enough, two T-72 tanks came in and fired at our positions. A few friendlies were blasted to gory shreds by enemy tank shells, while the rest of the Mujahidden remained pinned by the new threat.

"Shit," I said, "The bastards sent some tanks in!"

"Get an RPG over there," Reznov shouted, "Destroy them!"

As the chaos went on, I saw and RPG launcher over by a hut, and I rushed over as Reznov fired cover shots. I grabbed an RPG and loaded a rocket while the tanks blasted away a couple more friendlies. Once I aimed at the side of the unsuspecting armor, I fired a rocket that damaged one of the tanks. I rushed to another position as the tank blazed a shell just past me, but once I got another rocket on the launcher, I aimed at the back of the steel beast and blasted the behemoth to a smouldering ruin.

The other tank rolled in and fired at me, but Reznov kept firing cover shots to distract it, letting me load another shell, aim and fire, damaging the tank. As the tank fired at me, I rushed to another position and loaded another rocket. I took aim at the back, just when I saw the tank point its barrel at me, but I was quicker, for I fired off a shell and destroyed the tank.

"Great work, Price," Reznov complimented, "They're finished!"

The Russians had retreated from the village, but more trouble needed our attention as a Mujahidden speaking on a radio found out for us. Just as he finished speaking to the receiver on the radio, the Mujahidden turned toward us and stated, "The Russians have positions on the hill to the South East. Hihmed is attacking the hill, but he needs our help."

"Well, what are we waiting for," I said to the men, "Everyone, get your weapons and move out!"

Our defense of the village secure for now, we all started to move away from the village to the South East. Once we had exited completely from the village, we made our way across the desert to help Hihmed take the Soviet held hill.

Going over towards the hill, we came over the large dune to come across the desert field, where Soviets and Mujahidden were still fighting fiercely with one another, firing their guns at each other in sporadic skirmishes. The Russians had also set up several machine gun positions here, blazing on the Mujahidden and tearing them to shreds. But since this was the only way to reach Hihmed and the hill, we went through here.

"All of you, move through the bloody desert!" I ordered.

"Fight past this field," Reznov said, "Reach the hill!"

Entering the battlefield once more, we engaged the Soviets, braving past the gunshots and firing back at them. The Mujahidden fired immense cover fire for us as we engaged in the fierce battle, with me firing and shooting four soldiers as Reznov fired PPSH fire which shot several enemies, then I fired and shot four more Soviets as Reznov fired cover shots. An enemy machine gunner shot up a few friendlies, shooting off their limbs, but as I dodged his rounds, I aimed and then shot the enemy gunner. The Soviets kept firing intense rifle shot which riddled and shot multiple Mujahidden, then they kept firing shots that raked and pinned more friendlies. However, as Reznov and I fired cover shots, the Mujahidden fighters fired gunfire that raked enemy positions and shot several enemies. I gunned two soldiers down as Reznov fired and shot several Soviets, then I fired AK fire that nailed four more enemies while the Russians kept firing intense, fiery gunfire that riddled multiple friendlies. Another machine gunner blazed at me, but I took cover, aimed and shot him as the Mujahidden fighters fired and shot several enemies, then I shot four other soldiers as Reznov fired cover shots.

We all kept fighting hard past this field, eliminating the Soviet soldiers, machine gunners and positions in the desert field. Reznov and I fired intense gunfire which shot up numerous enemies and positions while the Mujahidden were firing immense cover fire from their defenses that raked the enemy nests. However, the Russians kept holding on and fighting to fend us all off, making our path to the hill a bit more difficult. With the Russians firing gunfire that fiercely raked Mujahidden positions, I gunned two soldiers down, then Reznov shot a few Soviets with PPSH fire while I fired and shot four more enemies. A Soviet machine gunner blazed and raked some Mujahidden positions, shooting the bloody flesh off a couple friendlies, but with Reznov firing cover, I aimed and shot down the gunner. The Russians kept firing intense gunfire that riddled multiple friendlies, so Reznov fired PPSH fire which shot several enemies while I gunned two soldiers down, then the Mujahidden fired immense hails of rifle fire that shot numerous Soviets. A midst hard fighting, we moved through the field, with the Mujahidden firing cover shots, then I fired and nailed four enemies as Reznov shot a few other Soviets with PPSH fire, then I gunned two more soldiers down as Reznov fired intense cover shots, letting us move through the field.

"Get to that damn hill!" I spoke.

Reznov and I kept fighting past the Soviet soldiers and positions in this desert field, then with other Mujahidden in support, we moved past the field. As we went over the dunes and past the rock formations, we soon found ourselves gazing upon the hill itself, where we would meet Hihmed.

"There he is," Reznov called out, "Get to him!"

The Mujahidden all following after us, we proceeded to rush over towards the bottom of the hill, meeting and regrouping with the Mujahidden there who were being pinned down by Soviet gunfire coming from the top. We came upon Hihmed, who was trying to engage the enemy nests above.

"What's our situation, Hihmed?" I asked.

"...We've managed to hold out here for a while," Hihmed responded, "I've been waiting for reinforcements, then to move out."

"Well, you got them now," I spoke, then turned to everyone, "Men, get up the hill, use whatever you can for cover!"

With Reznov and Hihmed at my side, I rushed up the hill with the great many Mujahidden fighters following, all of us attempting to clear the Soviet positions near the top. Immediately, the Russians at the top of the hill fired their guns at us, causing a fierce skirmish as we climbed.

"Climb the hill," Reznov shouted, "Fire on them!"

The Soviet soldiers at the top of the sandy hill fired hails of immense gunfire at our advances, shooting numerous Mujahidden fighters in the fierce battle. Still, as the Russians kept firing intense rifle fire which shot multiple friendlies, we kept climbing the hill, firing gunshots back at the enemy positions while taking cover by sandbags and rocks to dodge the enemy fire. Reznov fired his PPSH and shot up several enemy positions, then I gunned two soldiers down as Hihmed shot a few soldiers with his AK-74. While Reznov fired PPSH fire which shot several enemies, I fired and shot four more Soviets, then the Mujahidden fired rifle fire that shot multiple enemies as I gunned two other soldiers down. The Russians fired gunfire that fiercely raked friendly positions, but as Hihmed gunned down a couple soldiers, Reznov and I fired and shot up several Soviets, then the Mujahidden fired tense rifle shots that riddled enemy positions. Reznov shot a few soldiers with PPSH fire as I fired AK fire that shot four more enemies, then Reznov fired shots that nailed several more Soviets. The Russians fired gunfire that raked our positions, so Reznov and I shot up a few positions, then as Reznov and Hihmed fired cover shots, I aimed and shot up a machine gunner blazing at our positions.

We kept climbing up the sand covered hill as Soviets kept firing at us from the top, raining hails of fiery gunfire over us that shot numerous Mujahidden. As the vicious fighting raged, Reznov and I shot up several more positions, and while the Mujahidden kept firing cover shots, the two of us moved up the hill as Hihmed shot a few more soldiers. As Reznov fired and nailed a few enemies, I shot two more soldiers, but a machine gunner fired at us, so I took cover as Reznov fired cover, then I aimed and shot the gunner. I then gunned two more soldiers down while Reznov fired PPSH fire that shot several enemies as well, then Hihmed gunned a couple other soldiers down. Reznov and I shot up a few positions, then I fired and shot four soldiers while the Mujahidden fired gunfire that riddled some enemies. The Russians kept firing intense gunfire that shot up numerous more friendlies as they climbed up the hill, but as I hot four more soldiers and Reznov and Hihmed fired cover, the Mujahidden kept climbing up the hill. Hihmed shot a couple enemies, then Reznov shot a few more soldiers while I gunned a couple enemies down, then Reznov and I shot up a few more positions.

After a hard skirmish, we had all nearly reached the top and cleared away the enemy defenses in the way. However, Soviet resistance got even fiercer as we got closer to the top, with Russians firing immense fiery rifle fire which shot multiple friendlies, then they kept firing shots which riddled Mujahidden positions. A machine gun blazed at us, but with Reznov firing cover with his PPSH, I aimed and shot the gunner in return. As the enemy gunfire rained over us, we kept pushing up the hill, shooting up any positions in our way. As Russian soldiers fired shots that raked and pinned Mujahidden fighters and positions, I fired and shot four enemies, then Reznov fired and shot a few other enemies, then the Mujahidden fired immense rifle fire that shot up numerous enemies and positions. Only some sporadic enemy nests remained that fired on us, so we climbed up until we reached the top, where I fired AK shots that nailed four more enemies as Reznov fired PPSH fire and shot several enemies. A machine gunner fired on us, but I aimed and shot him in return, then we kept fighting until we had cleared away the last of the Soviet positions at the top of the sand hill.

"Yes," Reznov exclaimed, "Victory, Comrades!"

Once we secured the top of the hill, however, a remaining Soviet tanker came out with and LPO-50 flamethrower and sprayed fire that incinerated a few of the Mujahidden fighters near us. As the enemy tanker kept blazing flames, Reznov and I aimed and shot the tanker until he was dead.

...But that was only the start of our new problems, for I heard a loud noise, like chopping wind, which only got terrifyingly louder with every passing second. Soon, it rose up over the hill, making its frightening presence like a fearsome dragon flying above, a Soviet Mil Mi-24PN helicopter.

"Chyort, Soviet gunship!" Reznov called out.

"Get to cover!" Hihmed shouted.

The helicopter blazed its menacing machine guns and shot up several Mujahidden to bloody pieces, while firing a few rockets that destroyed a couple Mujahidden nests. As the helicopter kept on blazing furious machine gun shots that ripped away at the Mujahidden, Reznov ad I went over towards a nest to take cover, trying to figure out what to do now.

However, as if I was lucky or something, I found an RPG sitting here in this nest. It wouldn't have been as good as a Stinger, but it would have been something, for I would have to be more concentrated. I picked up the launcher and then aimed it at the helicopter, blazing a rocket, but the elusive chopper maneuvered around the rocket and fired right back at me.

Reznov fired cover shots as I ran to a new piece of cover, dodging the helicopter gunfire as it ripped away at my cover. Reznov fired cover fire with his PPSH, giving me time to reload a rocket, aim and then fire again, but the helicopter dodged the attack once again. I got to another nest as the helicopter's machine gun fire chased me, but with Reznov firing cover, I managed to reach another cover piece and reload. Once I aimed, I concentrated and fired... This time, it payed off, for the rocket struck the chopper's tail motor. With smoke and fire blazing from the tail, the helicopter spun out of control until it careened to the ground, landing on its side and the propellers spinning against the ground until they chipped off and stopped.

Reznov and I looked over the downed helicopter, then gazed at the desert beyond the hill... The direction to Khost.


	40. M-18: Passing the Torch - Pt 2

I stood on a sand dune, overlooking the nearby city of Khost. The Soviets had a hard defense there, but my men were very determined to seize the enemy stronghold. Reznov stood just before me to the left, gazing at the city... Wondering if this could be his last fight.

As I walked up to him, he turned to me and greeted me with a welcoming smile.

"You appear to be very capable, John." Reznov said to me.

"Runs in my family," I responded, "My grandfather, Jack, fought in a desert much like this back in the War... He actually found a German in Tunisia who gave him a very interesting piece of paper."

"You have any idea what it said?" Reznov asked.

"Not exactly," I responded, "But he also found the man's journal, and got quite an idea from it... Once he got to France, he and another soldier, Davis, I think, went on a personal mission to rescue Jews from a train, got them to Sweden. After that, my grandpa went back to England, but Davis remained to continue that work by himself."

"I would have liked to meet him." Reznov spoke.

As we waited by, suddenly, calls started coming out for us to begin our attack on Khost. After getting our guns, Reznov and I went to and mounted our separate horses and then we went over with them to group with other Mujahidden fighters mounted on their own horses, while behind us, a great swathe of Mujahidden infantry armed with Lee Enfields and PPSH guns were waiting to move out on foot.

Hihmed came up to us on his own horse, speaking, "Well, I suppose this is it... I'll see you in the city."

With all the men poised on top of this hill, we looked down towards the edge of Khost just across the desert, seeing a line of Soviet infantry defenses on the perimeter of the city. We waited further until the call came out that was followed by a resounding war cry from the Mujahidden... Then we charged.

"Attack!" I ordered.

With that, we all charged, rushing across the desert towards the city on our horses. As we got closer, the strong Soviet infantry line on the city perimeter started firing their guns, shooting some fellow Mujahidden from their horses. A couple Russian aircraft flew overhead, then an Mi-24PN helicopter flew in just over us, firing shots that strafed a few friendlies.

Despite all this chaos and the Soviets firing hails of fiery gunfire at us, we all kept charging, braving past it all. While the Soviet infantry were firing gunshots with rifles and machine guns, as I got closer, I saw a couple T-72 tanks with them, blazing shells to keep us back. My men and I just nearly reached the perimeter... But a tank fired and struck down my horse, bringing me down with it.

"John!" Reznov shouted in concern.

I lay on the ground, while Reznov then disembarked from his horse and came over to me. He gave out his hand and I proceeded to take it as he pulled me back up, then as other Mujahidden started to disembark from their horses, we went over to engage the Soviet line.

"Reznov, Price," Hihmed spoke to us, "We need to break this line! We have a tank coming to help us with those T-72s!"

"Then what are we bloody waiting for?!" I responded, "Let's all get to work!"

With Reznov wielding his PPSH and Hihmed and I brandishing AK-74 rifles, we engaged the Soviet line, while the many Mujahidden fighters charged came in to charge at the enemy defenses on foot. While rushing across the desert, Reznov, Hihmed and I, along with many other friendlies, took positions in the sand and behind rocks to fight the enemy line.

"Charge, Comrades!" Reznov shouted.

"Engage these bastards!" I ordered.

As a vicious battle commenced, the line of Soviet infantry fired hails of fiery, intense gunfire which shot numerous Mujahidden as they charged. The Russians kept firing immense rifle fire which riddled multiple friendlies in the fierce fighting, then they shot up Mujahidden fighters and positions. Still, we kept charging and firing shots at the enemy nests and trench line. As most of the Mujahidden charged and fired at the Soviet line a midst the heavy enemy gunfire raining all over them, many other friendlies held cover by rocks and fired gunfire that raked the enemy line, with Reznov and I firing shots that nailed several enemies as Hihmed fired cover fire. In the intense fighting, I fired and shot six enemies, then Reznov fired PPSH fire which riddled several other Soviets. As Hihmed shot up a few soldiers, the Mujahidden kept firing gunfire that riddled the Soviet defenses, but the Russians still fired immense hails of rifle fire which shot numerous friendlies in the vicious fighting. As this went on, I shot five enemies with AK fire while Reznov fired PPSH fire that nailed several other Soviets, but the enemy soldiers kept firing gunfire that fiercely raked and pinned friendly positions.

The Soviets all kept firing on us in this fierce skirmish, but the Mujahidden kept charging towards the city as Reznov and I fired tense cover fire that raked the enemy line. Hihmed gunned a couple soldiers down, then I shot five enemies while Reznov fired and nailed a few other Soviets, then the Mujahidden fired rifle shots that raked the enemy line. The Russians kept firing intense gunfire that nailed multiple friendlies charging across the desert, then the Soviets fired more rifle shots that fiercely raked and pinned Mujahidden fighters and positions to pieces. I gunned two soldiers down, then Reznov fired and shot several enemies as I then shot five more Soviets with AK fire. Hihmed shot a few soldiers with his AK as Reznov and I fired cover shots that raked the enemy line, but the Soviets kept firing immense, fiery rifle fire which shot multiple friendlies in the vicious battle. I shot two soldiers as Reznov fired and shot a few other enemies, then I gunned two more soldiers down. The Mujahidden from behind cover pieces then fired immense rifle fire which shot numerous enemies in the line as I shot a machine gunner, then Hihmed gunned a couple soldiers down. The Soviets kept firing rifle shots that riddled friendly positions, so I fired AK fire which nailed six enemies as Reznov fired cover fire with his PPSH.

We all kept fighting the Soviet line on the perimeter of this city, stubbornly holding on to make our assault past these hails of enemy gunfire raining over us. As I gunned two soldiers down, Reznov shot a few enemies, then I aimed and shot a machine gunner blazing at us as Reznov and Hihmed fired cover shots. The Russians kept firing intense, fiery hails of gunfire which shot numerous Mujahidden, but as I fired and shot five enemies and Reznov fired PPSH fire that shot up several enemies, the Mujahidden fighters fired immense rifle fire that shot multiple enemies in the opposing trench line. The Soviets kept firing rifle shots that furiously raked different friendly positions, so as Hihmed gunned a few soldiers down, I shot two soldiers while Reznov fired and nailed a few other enemies, though the Soviets kept firing intense gunfire that nailed multiple friendlies in the fierce skirmish. I fired and shot five enemies as Reznov shot up a few other soldiers with PPSH fire, then the Mujahidden fired gunfire that raked the enemy line, but the Soviets kept firing fierce rifle fire which riddled numerous friendlies. In response, I fired and shot five more enemies as Reznov fired PPSH fire that nailed several other soldiers, then the Mujahidden fired gunfire that shot numerous enemies while I shot a machine gunner firing at us.

After much vicious, hard fighting, we had nearly cleared away the enemy defenses, but the remaining enemies stubbornly held on. I gunned two soldiers down, then Hihmed shot a few more enemies, but the Soviets kept firing gunfire that shot up more friendly positions and fighters, their bullets tearing of limbs and pieces of bloody flesh. Reznov fired and shot several Soviets, then I fired AK fire that nailed five more enemies, then while Reznov and Hihmed fired cover, I took aim and shot a machine gunner. As the Soviets continued raining hails of fiery gunfire over them, the Mujahidden fired intense rifle shots that nailed multiple enemies in the trench, then I gunned two soldiers down as Reznov fired and nailed a few more enemies with his PPSH, then I shot two other soldiers. A Soviet machine gunner fired at us, but as Reznov fired cover, I aimed and shot the enemy gunner as he gunned a couple fighters down. As the fierce battle raged, the Mujahidden kept firing intense rifle fire that shot numerous remaining enemies, then as Reznov fired and shot a few more enemies, I shot five other Soviets with AK fire, then Reznov and I kept firing at the enemy defenses.

"We're breaking them," Reznov stated, "Keep it up!"

Though enemy gunshots still rained on us, as Reznov and I kept firing cover shots, the Mujahidden kept firing rifle fire that shot up the remaining Soviet positions here, finally breaking through to the enemy tanks that were also blazing at us... Luckily, that's when the order came for our T-72 to roll in, firing shells at the enemy tanks and destroying one of them. The second armor fired shells back, but the friendly tank dodged them and fired until he destroyed the second tank... And now we could move into the city itself.

"Be careful for anything," Hihmed warned, "Move up."

With that, we all moved up the street through the city, with Reznov, Hihmed and I leading as the rest of the Mujahidden and the lone captured T-72 followed us in. As we moved in through the streets, however, enemy tank shells started to rain down on us, so we dove for cover. Once the shells slammed down, they blasted and burned several friendlies, and they also smashed the friendly tank to a ruin.

"Shit," I spoke, "They took out our tank!"

"Those must be those tank positions within the city," Hihmed stated, "From what our scouts say, there's three of them spread out around here. We'll need to find each one and take them all out so we can move through."

With that we all moved through the streets, but as we did, Russian soldiers appeared in the streets and side buildings, firing their guns at us. Taking positions in the streets, the Mujahidden fired rifle shots back at the Soviets as they rained gunfire on us. I fired and shot four enemies in the street while Reznov shot a few more soldiers, then Hihmed gunned a couple enemies down, then I shot two soldiers in a building window while Reznov fired and shot several more Soviets, then I shot up four more enemies in a couple building windows while Hihmed fired and nailed a few other soldiers. After hard fighting, we all moved up, but more Soviets kept firing immense gunfire at our positions, firing hails of rifle shots that riddled numerous friendlies in the streets, though as the Russians kept firing gunfire that furiously raked Mujahidden positions, I fired AK fire and shot up several Soviet positions while Reznov and Hihmed fired cover shots. The Mujahidden fired rifle fire that nailed multiple enemies as Reznov fired PPSH fire that shot a few Soviets, but the Russians all kept firing gunfire that shot multiple friendlies in the fierce skirmish.

A midst the Soviets firing immense gunfire at all of us, shooting more friendlies, the Mujahidden kept firing intense cover fire as Reznov and I fired fierce rifle fire that nailed multiple enemies in the streets and buildings. We all moved up and encountered more Soviets in the streets who fired hails of fiery gunfire at us, so we positioned ourselves and fired rifle shots back in the vicious skirmish. The two sides kept firing at each other's positions, shooting up nests and soldiers while dodging the return fire. Reznov shot a few enemies in the fierce street fighting as I shot four other soldiers with AK fire, then the Mujahidden fired immense gunfire that shot numerous enemies. The Soviets kept firing rifle fire that riddled friendly positions to pieces, shooting up some fighters, but Hihmed shot a few enemies as I gunned two soldiers down in a window. Reznov then fired and shot several enemies in the street fighting as I shot two more soldiers in another building window. As the fierce fighting went on, as Reznov, Hihmed and I fired intense cover shots, the Mujahidden fighters braved the enemy gunfire and fired rifle shots that nailed multiple enemies as I fired and shot four other Soviets in the streets.

After much hard fighting, we cleared away this street, then kept fighting past Soviet resistance through the streets until we made our way right to where we wanted, a Russian tank in an entrenched position.

"There's the first tank!" Hihmed spoke.

We had found the first entrenched T-72 tank, which was firing shells and machine gun fire at nearby friendly positions. Reznov and I fired gunfire that riddled several infantry positions then, as Hihmed fired cover shots, Reznov and I came near the tank nest, right where we found some RPG-7 launchers laying nearby.

"Get the RPG," Reznov spoke, "I'll give you cover!"

Several soldiers attacked us, but as I gunned a couple of the down, Reznov fired and shot a few others. As Reznov kept firing cover shots, I took the RPG, aimed it and then fired to strike the side of the tank. I reloaded just as the tank fired back at me, but I dodged the shell. With concentration, I then fired again to hit the tank on the back, finally decimating it to smouldering pieces.

"Yes, hah!" Reznov exclaimed.

"Come my friends," Hihmed spoke, "Onto the next one!"

With that, Reznov and I shot up the last couple enemies and then, with Hihmed and some of the other Mujahidden at our side, we kept moving even further down the streets.

Once moving down the streets further into the city, we encountered more Soviet ambushes, with Russians appearing in the streets and building windows. As the Russians all fired their guns at us, we all took positions here in the streets, firing our rifles back. The Russians all fired intense, fiery rifle fire which shot numerous friendlies to pieces, then they kept firing gunfire which riddled Mujahidden positions. In response, Reznov and I fired cover fire that raked enemy positions, then the Mujahidden fired immense gunfire that shot multiple enemies, but the Russians kept firing hails of rifle shots that raked friendly positions and shot up multiple fighters. I fired and shot four enemies in the street as Reznov fired PPSH fire that nailed several Soviets, then I shot up four more enemies in our way. We all moved up and engaged more Soviet resistance, with Reznov and I firing shots that nailed multiple enemies as Hihmed fired cover shots, and though the Russians kept firing hails of shots that raked Mujahidden positions, as I fired and shot four enemies in building windows as the Mujahidden fired and shot up some enemies.

The vicious battle raged as we kept fighting through the streets, braving immense Soviet gunfire and ambushes. Coming upon more Soviets, Reznov fired and shot a few enemies as Hihmed gunned a couple soldiers down. I shot two soldiers in a window as Reznov shot a few other Soviets with PPSH fire, then I gunned two more enemies down in another building window. The Soviets kept firing immense gunfire that shot numerous Mujahidden in the streets, some bullets ripping off limbs in the fierce fighting. However, we all kept pushing through all of it, with the Mujahidden firing cover fire as I fired and shot four enemies and Hihmed shot a few other soldiers, then Reznov fired PPSH fire that shot several more Russians. As the vicious fighting went on, we kept moving through the streets, engaging more Russians along the way, so I shot two soldiers in a building as Reznov and Hihmed shot up a few positions, then I gunned two more enemies in another building. While the Russians kept firing on us, the Mujahidden fired intense gunfire that shot multiple enemies, leading us to clear our way further.

As we came through the streets, we found ourselves facing off against a couple of Soviet machine guns, who all fired hails of shots that fiercely raked Mujahidden fighters and positions, while other Russians fired gunfire that nailed multiple friendlies as well.

"Chyort!" Reznov said, "Eliminate the machine guns!"

As the Soviets kept firing immense gunfire which riddled Mujahidden fighters in the vicious skirmish, Reznov and I fired rifle fire that shot several enemies that fired at us. As Hihmed fired cover shots, Reznov and I kept firing gunfire that nailed several more Soviets, then I fired shots that raked the machine guns.

The machine guns fired at me, but I dodged their volleys and fired back as Reznov and Hihmed fired cover fire. I kept firing at the first machine gun as it fired at me, and after I dodged some bullets, I aimed and shot the gunner. Another soldier got on the gun and fired, but I aimed and shot him down as well as Reznov fired cover, and the Mujahidden fighters firing their guns at enemy positions while braving the Soviet machine gun shots.

The skirmish went on as the last machine gun kept firing at us. Some Russians fired their guns and shot up Mujahidden positions, but Reznov fired PPSH fire which shot several enemies as Hihmed fired cover. I then fired and shot up the second machine gun nest, but the gunner fired back and drove me to cover. As Reznov kept firing cover, I concentrated and finally shot up the last gunners, then we shot the remaining enemy soldiers.

"Keep moving, men!" Hihmed stated.

With that, we rushed further up the streets to search for the second tank.

Moving past the former machine gun positions, we engaged more Russian soldiers on this one street, as they were positioned at the other end and firing their guns at us, driving us to cover. In the fierce skirmish, we held positions and fired gunfire back that raked the enemy nests, while the Soviets kept firing rifle shots that riddled Mujahidden fighters and positions. I fired and shot four Soviets as Reznov shot a few other enemies with PPSH fire, then Hihmed gunned down a couple other soldiers. The Russians fired intense hails of rifle fire that shot numerous friendlies, but as Reznov and I fired intense cover shots, the Mujahidden fired immense gunfire back that raked enemy positions and shot up multiple enemies. We then moved further up the street, encountering more Russian infantry who fired their guns at us, shooting up friendly positions. With Hihmed firing cover, Reznov fired and shot several enemies while I shot four more soldiers with AK fire, but the Russians kept firing intense shots that furiously raked friendly positions and shot up some Mujahidden. However, while Reznov and I fired cover shots, a midst the heavy Russian gunfire raining all over them, the Mujahidden fired intense gunfire that nailed multiple enemies in the street, clearing our way through the pathways and letting us move up towards the end.

Eventually, as we moved further down, we came upon the second entrenched tank position, seeing that the machine gun nests were guarding this target.

The enemy T-72 fired a few shells that blasted several Mujahidden to bloody bits, then it fired at Reznov and I, so we rushed to cover to dodge the shells as Hihmed fired cover. Several Russians came in and fired gunfire that shot multiple friendlies, then the enemies fired at us. I shot a few of the soldiers as Reznov fired PPSH fire which riddled several enemies, then I aimed and gunned down a couple other Soviets firing at me.

"Destroy the tank, Price!" Reznov ordered.

While Reznov and Hihmed kept firing cover fire at enemy positions a midst the chaos, I aimed the RPG and fired, hitting the side of the tank. The tank suffered minor damage, but held on and fired back, so I dodged the shell, reloaded and fired again to strike the tank's side. It became more damaged, beginning to smoke, but the tank wasn't out yet, so it fired at me again, nearly getting me. I loaded another rocket and aimed, this time for the back, just as the tank aimed right at me. Luckily, I was quicker, for I fired and blasted away the steel beast.

"Excellent, John," Reznov said, "Keep fighting!"

Only one more tank left to go, we finished up here and then kept on moving down the streets.

While moving on to another objective, more Soviets appeared in the streets and buildings to ambush us, firing hails of gunfire on us and our fellow fighters. We took positions in the streets and engaged the enemy resistance, firing our guns at the Russian positions and fending off their attacks. Hihmed gunned a couple soldiers down as I fired AK fire and shot four enemies in a couple building windows, then Reznov shot a few Soviets with PPSH fire. However, the Russians kept firing rifle shots that nailed multiple friendlies in the fierce skirmish. Reznov and I fired cover shots that nailed several enemies, then Hihmed shot a few other soldiers as the Mujahidden fired gunfire that raked several Soviets down. Reznov fired and shot several enemies as I fired AK fire that nailed four more Soviets in the streets, and then as the Russians kept firing their guns at us, the Mujahidden fired rifle shots that riddled multiple enemies and shot up their positions, letting us move up through the streets to get towards the third and final tank position while fighting past the intense Soviet resistance and ambushes in the way.

However, as we kept on fighting, more Russians appeared in the buildings, firing intense hails of gunfire that riddled numerous friendlies and drove the rest into cover. Reznov and I fired intense cover fire that raked the enemy positions and shot up multiple Soviets, but the Russians kept firing immense rifle fire that shot multiple friendlies. However as Reznov, Hihmed and I fired cover fire, the Mujahidden braved past the immense enemy gunshots and fired hails of rifle fire back that nailed multiple enemies, then we moved up through the streets, but more Soviet infantry appeared and fired on us. I fired and shot four enemies in the street, then Reznov shot a few other enemies as I gunned two more soldiers down in a window. The Russians kept firing intense shots that raked friendly positions, so I fired AK fire and shot four more enemies as Reznov shot a few other soldiers with PPSH fire. As Reznov and Hihmed fired cover shots, I gunned two soldiers down in a window to the left, then I aimed and shot two more enemies in a building to the right, while the Mujahidden fired immense gunfire that shot up numerous remaining Soviets here in this street. After hard fighting, we cleared our way further and moved up.

While on route, we encountered another set of a couple machine guns, blazing hails of bullets at Mujahidden positions, raking them furiously as other Soviets were firing gunfire that shot numerous friendlies.

"Chyort, machine guns," Reznov warned, "Destroy them!"

As the Mujahidden fighters fired cover shots at the enemy positions, Reznov, Hihmed and I dodged Soviet shots until we got to a nest. As Hihmed fired cover, Reznov and I fired rifle fire which shot multiple enemies, then I fired at the first machine gun. The enemy gunner blazed back at me, but I avoided the volley, then as Reznov and Hihmed fired cover, I aimed and shot the machine gunners of the first nest.

As Soviets kept firing their guns at them, the Mujahidden fighters fired gunfire at enemy positions, then as Hihmed fired cover, Reznov shot up several enemies with PPSH fire. After dodging another volley, I aimed and shot the second machine gunner, but another Soviet got on the gun and blazed at me. I dodged the attack, and as Reznov and Hihmed fired cover, I fired to rake the second nest. With the enemy gunner firing at me, I aimed and shot the last gunner in the second nest, then we kept fighting until we eliminated the last of the enemies here.

"That's it," Hihmed stated, "Move!"

"Seize the city, Comrades!" Reznov shouted.

After this skirmish, we all proceeded to move out towards the rest of the street in order to find the third tank.

Coming onto another street, we engaged more Russian soldiers who came out and ambushed us. The Soviets came in at the other end of the street, positioned themselves there and fired hails of gunfire at us from the other end, causing us to take positions at our end and fire our guns back. Our two sides fired at each other's sides furiously in a fierce skirmish, with me shooting two enemies by a position, then Reznov shot a few other Soviets with PPSH fire while I gunned two more soldiers down at another position. Hihmed shot a few enemies, then I fired and shot four more enemies with AK fire, and though the Russians fired shots that nailed multiple friendlies, Reznov and I shot up several Russians and then we moved up. Remaining Soviets kept firing hails of shots at us, so I gunned two soldiers down as Reznov fired and shot several more enemies with PPSH fire. As Reznov and Hihmed fired cover shots, I gunned two more enemies down by a position, then as the Soviets kept firing shots that raked friendly positions, I fired and shot four more enemies. As Reznov and I fired cover shots, the Mujahidden fighters fired hails of fiery gunfire that nailed multiple remaining enemies in the street, clearing our way further up to the end.

As we moved up to reach the end of the street, we soon found the last of our objective sitting before us.

There it was, the third and final tank position, firing shells and machine gun fire at Mujahidden positions while Soviet soldiers were firing their guns and shooting up any friendlies they could find in the intensely fierce skirmish.

"There it is," Reznov said, "Let's get it!"

"After you, good man." I replied.

As Hihmed fired cover, Reznov and I went over towards a nest as the tank fired at us, then Reznov and I fired gunfire that nailed several enemies firing at us. I then took out my RPG and aimed it, emitting a rocket that struck the back of the tank, leading smoke out of it. The tank aimed and fired at us, but we dodged the shell, then I loaded another rocket. As Reznov fired and shot a few more enemies, I aimed the rocket, and just as the tank aimed right back at me, I fired and struck the tank's head, blasting it apart... The tanks were finished.

"You've both done very well." Hihmed spoke as he came over to Reznov and I.

"Just doing our jobs." I responded.

"Well, you have a new job," Hihmed stated, "Let's hurry to take the center of the city."

Suddenly, however, two Soviet T-72 tanks came rolling down the street in a mighty and fearsome presence, firing hails of shells and machine gun fire that ripped at and tore many Mujahidden fighters to pieces. As the enemy tanks fired shots that fiercely pinned and crushed the Mujahidden, Soviet troops came in with machine guns and fired hails of gunfire that riddled numerous friendlies in the fiery chaos.

Reznov and I hid behind a building as Hihmed got to a cinder block. As Reznov and I fired gunfire that shot several enemes, the Soviets fired their guns back to send us into cover, then I saw a few Soviet tankers with LPO flamethrowers come in and spray fire that incinerated several friendlies.

This enemy counter assault was not only stopping us, but they were beginning to push the Mujahidden back, and rather quickly. Reznov and I kept firing intense cover fire at the enemies, but that didn't stop them... And just to make matters worse, two Soviet Mi-24PN helicopters flew in and blazed terrifying machine gun fire that ripped at Mujahidden on the street, forcing them back even further.

"Shit, Hinds!" I stated, "Hihmed, we got any Stingers?!"

"No, just RPGs!" Hihmed called back to me.

"Bloody Hell!" I said, "We need to take out those damned choppers!"

"Chyort, we'll have to get to the top of the buildings," Reznov said, "We'll have a better shot to strike those helicopters!"

"I'll follow you in, Vik." I replied.

As the Mujahidden were being crushed by this furious Soviet counter assault, Reznov and I entered a building while Hihmed held his ground. The two of us moved through the hallways, stairs and rooms to get to the top, but we soon found we were not the only ones in this building, for Soviet soldiers appeared in the rooms and hallways to ambush us as we moved in.

A midst the Russian attacks, Reznov and I fired gunfire at enemies in the rooms and hallways. The Soviets fired at us in a room, but we fired back and shot them all down, then we got to another room to engage more soldiers. Reznov and I shot a few Soviets, but the Russians fired back at us, so we dodged their attack and then fired back and gunned the couple remaining soldiers down.

We both came to a hallway, meeting Russians positioned there who fired on us. Taking our own positions, Reznov and I fired intense gunfire back in a fierce firefight in the hallways. After dodging gunshots, Reznov and I shot a few soldiers, but the Russians kept firing at us. While we fired back, the Russians kept holding on, so the two of us kept firing gunfire that shot several remaining enemies, then we moved up.

"Clear that left room," I ordered, "I'll take the right."

Immediately, Reznov went into the left room while I entered the one to the right... And I got quite a surprise.

As I came into the room, suddenly, a Russian soldier rushed at me a bayonet attached to the lug of his AK-74. I dodged the thrust as he stabbed the wall, but he quickly withdrew the bayonet and thrust at me again, but I seized hold of the gun, then the Russian soldier and I wrestled very hard with each other in fierce fighting. As we kept wrestling viciously over the rifle, the Russian threw his fist and punched me before forcing me up to the wall, where he tried to stab me with the bayonet, but I got hold of the gun first. I struggled hard to push away the blade, being rather difficult to counter my enemy's furious strength as he continued trying to finish me off.

I eventually prevailed, however, as I swiped away the gun and then punched the enemy soldier, just before taking the rifle and stabbing him with the bayonet, then firing a few rounds into him while still impaled, finishing off my opponent.

I came out of the room and reunited with Reznov and then we went up some stairs and through a hallway. As we moved, we came upon a hallway that contained a Russian tanker, and with his gas mask and flamethrower, he almost looked like a terrifying alien.

The enemy tanker sprayed fire at us, but we both dodged the flames and took cover as he kept emitting fire. He started setting the hallways aflame as Reznov and I fired cover shots, but the tanker kept spraying, his flames nearly reaching me. Finally, as I almost got myself incinerated, I took careful aim and gunned him down, clearing our way as we moved through the hallway that was blazing with fire.

Eventually as we moved up, we came to a door, opening it up to find ourselves on the roof. I saw the enemy helicopters hovering just near me, almost unsuspecting of my presence as we came in.

"Get an RPG, Price," Reznov spoke, "Destroy those Helicopters!"

I saw a few RPG launchers laying on the roof, and so I grabbed one and proceeded to aim the launcher at one of helicopters, firing a rocket. However, enemy Hind swerved and dodged the attack, then fired its gun, so I dove for cover. As the helicopter kept on firing at me, blazing a few rockets and machine gun fire, I reloaded and rushed to a different point, just before aiming and concentrating. I then shot off a rocket, and though the helicopter began to move, the rocket struck a hole in the side, and as smoke bore out, the helicopter went down onto the street below us, smashing into the street in blazing heat.

However, the other Hind made a furious attack, spraying hails of machine gun fire at me as I rushed to cover. Once getting in another rocket, I aimed and fired, but the Hind swerved out of the way and kept firing it machine gun and rockets. Reznov then fired cover shots at the Hind, distracting it, so I reloaded and concentrated to fire off another rocket, but the chopper kept maneuvering around and dodging the attack. The Hind kept firing at me, so I rushed to cover to escape its volleys. Reznov kept firing cover fire to distract the chopper, but I was running low on rockets, so I had to make this one count. As I took aim, the Hind was moving a little, but I concentrated... I then fired and hit the front of the helicopter, and it went down and crashed.

"Excellent work, John," Reznov complimented, "We'll find some way to strike back."

...But before we could celebrate, suddenly, another Soviet Mil Mi-24PN helicopter hovered up, flying menacingly above us. The Mi-24 blazed a flurry of rockets as Reznov and I rushed to the edge of the building, but the Hind fired a rocket that blew apart some of the edge of the roof, knocking the RPG out of my hands... Even worse I soon ended up beginning to sip off the broken edge, but Reznov quickly rushed over to grab my hand.

I dangled over the edge as Reznov held onto my hand, trying his best to pull me back up... However, despite our best efforts, as he tried pulling me back up, I started slipping. Still, I kept climbing up as Reznov continued to pull me back on the roof... But if wasn't enough, for I kept slipping until my grip was separated, and as I saw Reznov still on the roof, I fell from the building... It was only a short drop, and a fall on a vending stand cushioned my fall.

...But when I looked back up, as I saw Reznov standing on the roof of the building, with the Hind looming over. He disappeared just before the helicopter fired a couple missiles that blasted away the roof, seemingly killing Reznov.

 _No, Viktor_ , I thought... But my daze soon put me to sleep.

* * *

Awaking, I lay on the wide street, with Hihmed crawling over to check on me, but Soviet soldiers were surrounding us, with one coming over to knock Hihmed down with his rifle stock. Several Mujahidden fighters were kneeling on the street near us, with Soviet soldiers standing by and guarding... Very soon, the same exact Soviet Mil Mi-24PN helicopter that shot me off the building started slowly landing on the ground nearby, the propellers kicking up sand as they were winding down.

Once a couple guards exited the flying behemoth, a man stepped out. This aged man looked to be in his sixties, with dark grey hair and a beard with a mustache. He wore a tan Soviet uniform, unbuttoned from the top to expose his blue striped undershirt, and he also wore a black leather jacket with red epaulets, as well as a Soviet officer's cap. His face also had wild blue eyes, with a scar underneath the right one... This might be the Soviet officer that I've been looking for all along, the madman with the missiles.

The Soviet officer stood before the scene, looking around with powerful intensity. He glared at me as I knelt on the street, then he turned to his men and the line of Mujahidden prisoners. "We have all been furious, frustrated with our efforts here," The Soviet officer spoke, picking a stone off the ground, "Soon enough, everyone, including these primitive savages dwelling in the sand, will suffer our wrath, our vengeance... Unleash all of your anger, men, and raze this worthless country, and its worthless people!"

The Soviet officer then handed the stone to a fellow soldier, speaking to him in Russian, "Dayte im oko za oko (Give them an eye for an eye)." The Soviet soldier who received the stone responded by standing in front of the Mujahidden, and with a firm grip, he threw the stone and struck one of the prisoners right on the head, bursting a bloody wound open and knocking him down.

Other Soviets also picked up stones and hurled a number of stones at the captured Mujahidden, pounding them hard with the rocks which made bruises and bloody cuts. As the soldiers went on with the stoning, the Soviet officer came over and gaze upon me, and as he glared, he eventually spoke, "Bring him." to another soldier, and with that, I was dragged by my arms away towards the helicopter. I turned back and saw the Soviets continue to stone the prisoners, but then two tankers with LPO-50 flamethrowers stepped in and sprayed immense flames that incinerated the prisoners, leaving only charred smoke, burnt robes and screams.

I was to be taken to this man's base... For what exactly, I'm not sure... I just wish Reznov was here.


	41. Saviors of Russia

... ...

...I don't remember much after being taken by that Soviet officer aboard his helicopter. I became dazed when they started beating me into submission, before being loaded into one of their trucks... Though I do remember a shadow of a man secretly entering one of the other trucks that came with us.

When I awoke, the next thing I saw was that I was being dragged by my arms by a couple Soviet soldiers. Eventually I was set down on the ground, standing on a short platform, while on the ground were TELS containing R-17 missiles... Ones that looked like they could pack a much more considerable punch than they looked.

As Soviet soldiers stood guard and engineers worked on setting up these missiles, the Soviet officer, the one who captured me, stepped in front of my view. He knelt down before me and spoke, "Is this what you came to see? Is this what you've been looking for, John?"

I looked back up at him as he stood back up and said, "Yes, I know who you are... I knew you were here, what you've been doing, ever since you entered this country... And now you're completely alone."

"What are you doing?" I spoke.

"Finishing my work... Everything will soon be over, and I will ensure the legacy of my country."

"What, with these missiles... You'll only be destroying everything."

"Then so be it." the Soviet officer responded.

"You can't do this!"

"I can, and I will."

"You really think you can strike every city on the globe?!"

"Not really, no... They're all fitted for long range, but none of these even have any nuclear power... Except for one," the officer then pointed to a Zil 131 tractor with a trailer, containing a Soviet missile with special markings, "My present for Berlin, finally finishing them off... And the whole world will fall with it."

I pondered this, then asked, "That's uranium, yes?"

"Yes, so?"

"How'd you get that?"

"...I found it... Stalin was given some of the secrets, helped our Atomic program, even our first missile can be connected to what I found... But ever since I found it in Manchuria, I kept the uranium for myself, even getting my own missile for it, just for the right moment."

...My mind momentarily stopped hearing his words... _Manchuria... You're him, aren't you._ I thought.

The Soviet officer knelt to my level, placing a menacing hand on my shoulder while glaring furiously at me, "This whole world will burn and suffer for keeping the Soviet Union down... But that's still nothing compared to what I have in store for _your_ future, John."

...But suddenly, I saw a figure step out onto the platform, just several meters away from the Soviets and I. The Soviet officer and I were the very first to notice this man, for when he spoke, we both recognized him.

...It was Reznov... _He survived,_ I thought, _He must have been the shadow that entered that other truck_... Even more, when Reznov stated his sentence, he confirmed that the Soviet officer before me was indeed Vylkalev.

"...Mikhail," Reznov called out, "Stop this!"

Vylkalev's expression suddenly turned from anger into shock, being very surprised to be seeing the man once again. "...Impossible..." Vylkalev spoke to himself as he turned towards a furiously confrontational Reznov, and Vylkalev immediately became very mad once again.

"I am your commander, and I order you to stop this!" Reznov demanded.

"You are no longer my officer, Viktor," Vylkalev spoke defiantly, "You betrayed the Soviet Union!"

"I have never betrayed my country," Reznov stated, "I fight for Russia, for the Soviet Republic, just as I always have!"

"Hah, you have sided with the West," Vylkalev said, "You have even killed Russian soldiers, members of the army you used to serve for, right here in Afghanistan... And yet, you stand there and call yourself a patriot!"

"And you dare accuse me of treason," Reznov spoke, "After you shot me, and left me to die!"

"It was the will of Stalin and the Soviet Union," Vylkalev said, "...Just as it was mine."

"You betrayed me, and the Red Army, along with everything we fought for," Reznov stated, "You have no right to call me a traitor!"

"I have every right," Vylkalev spoke, "You want me to stop this, you want me to disobey Comrade Stalin!"

"There are things about these weapons... Even Stalin, did not understand." Reznov said.

A couple of Vylkalev's guards aimed their guns at Reznov, but Vylkalev raised his hand as an order for them to stand down, then Vylkalev turned back and pointed to his rival, "Be very careful, Viktor," Vylkalev spoke, "What you say is counter revolutionary!"

"Is it," Reznov asked, then spoke, "Stalin had you take for himself, he even used the heroics of the Red Army to fulfill his thirst for power... He betrayed the Soviet Union, just as the others after him have continued to betray us."

"Oh, spare me," Vylkalev retorted, "You say this only because you were shot... You used to idolize the man, just as I have."

"...Initially, yes," Reznov said, "Yes, I used to see him as a hero, a comrade... But I've taken my time to see what he has done, and now I see that he has caused much pain for our country, only for himself, and not for our glorious revolution."

"What do you know of it?!" Vylkalev demanded.

"The Soviet government is continuing to exploit Russia for their own selves," Reznov said, "So, I fight to try and save Russia from them... These missiles, they will only destroy our country, and everything else... No one will win in a war like this."

"I don't even care about that," Vylkalev stated, "If the Soviet Union is to die, then it will take all with it... They look down on us, they have all kept us from thriving as we should have! It is all the fault of the West!"

"Maybe it is," Reznov spoke, "I don't have the answers, but I know that this isn't one... Besides, I am here just for this."

"So it is just revenge, isn't it." Vylkalev said with cold sarcasm.

"Revenge is all I have," Reznov said, "Revenge for my friends, my family, even my country."

"Enough!" Vylkalev shouted, "You know nothing about the Soviet Union!"

"I know enough to see what betrays it," Reznov stated firmly, "I know my country, I know its values, and will remain loyal and defend them to the end... Even from those within Soviet Russia itself... Just like you."

"You took my men, my family, from me!" Vylkalev said through his teeth with anger.

"Just as you have took mine," Reznov responded, "I've always been loyal to Russia, so I betrayed no one... But you and your delusions, have betrayed me, and the Red Army... Just as Stalin betrayed all of us."

Vylkalev became more furious, as he stated "Wrong!" before walking over to the control board to start the launch sequence for the first missile, then he picked up an AK 74 rifle while turning back to Reznov to speak, "This one is heading straight to Berlin! Stalin's vision is the will of the Soviets... And _I_ am their instrument!"

Reznov and Vylkalev aimed their guns at each other in a tense standoff, while the Soviet guards all aimed at Reznov as well... But while most of them were distracted by their new target, I made a break for it. I rushed off the platform and jumped down to reach for cover behind some crates while a couple Soviets fired at me... And as this went on, Reznov fired PPSH fire at the enemies while Vylkalev and his guards fired their guns back, starting a fire fight.

As Reznov and Vylkalev fired gunfire at each other in a fierce skirmish, a Soviet tanker in a gas mask charged at me with a knife. As he brought the blade down on me, I grabbed his wrists, then the two of us wrestled viciously over the knife. The tanker and I kept struggling while Reznov kept firing PPSH fire at Vylkalev and his guards as they fired back, but as we kept wrestling hard, I managed to twist the man's hand and shove his knife directly into his own throat. With my enemy dead, I grabbed his AK 74 rifle and rushed to a stack of crates closer to Reznov.

After much fierce fighting, Reznov fired PPSH fire that nailed several of the guards, then he kept firing until he shot the last of them down, but Vylkalev kept firing at him, driving him to cover.

"Price... John," Reznov called out, then he tossed some explosives over to me, and I responded by catching them as Reznov kept speaking, "I'll hold them off! You place these under that rocket, then get that truck with the marked missile out of here before it launches!"

"Not without you!" I responded.

"Hurry, Comrade," Reznov said, "There isn't much time!"

With that, as Reznov engaged Vylkalev, I rushed towards the Soviet TEL to reach the missile before it launches. However, there were some hardened and very tough Soviet soldiers I had to get through first.

"Come on, you bastards!" I shouted, firing my rifle.

A number of Soviets attacked, firing volleys of gunshots at me, so I held cover and fired AK fire back at the enemy soldiers. As the fierce skirmish went on with me and the Soviets firing at each other, Reznov kept fighting Vylkalev, the two men firing gunfire at each other that raked the other's positions. Still, as I kept firing AK shots at attacking guards that fired at me, Reznov and Vylkalev kept firing furious gunshots at each other.

Eventually, as Reznov and Vylkalev kept firing at one another, they each ran out of ammo... So the two men charged at each other, clashing as Vylkalev seized his hands on Reznov's PPSH as he still held on, wrestling hard for it. While Reznov and Vylkalev were viciously battling and wrestling very hard and fiercely with each other over the PPSH gun, I kept engaging the enemies with my AK rifle, fighting hard to get to the launching missile.

A Soviet machine gun started firing furiously at me, raking my cover to shreds. I fired shots at the nest, but it kept blazing at me, keeping me pinned. So, I rushed over to a new cover piece, took quick aim and fired to shoot the machine gunner before he could swing his fire back at me.

Reznov kept fiercely wrestling with Vylkalev in a vicious fight, while I fired shots at the Soviets firing at me. After dodging some volleys I fired and shot a few soldiers, then I evaded some bullets to fire some shots that nailed a couple other soldiers. Reznov and Vylkalev kept viciously wrestling with each other, as I kept firing AK fire that shot several more enemies. After dodging some bullets, I fired shots that raked some positions, but a Soviet tanker with a flamethrower came at me, spraying fire. I dodged the flames and hid behind some crates, though I could still feel the heat of the flames surrounding me. But I evaded the fire and took aim to shoot the flamethrower operator before his flames could reach me. I then fired and shot a few more enemies before dodging volleys to aim and gun a couple other soldiers down. In a fierce skirmish, as I kept firing shots and dodging return bullet, I fired shots that nailed a few more Soviets, then I kept racing to the launching missile.

As I raced to the rocket, Reznov and Vylkalev kept fiercely wrestling each other in a fierce battle, both fighting to struggle the PPSH out of each other's hands. Still, they wrestled very hard and I kept fighting to reach the missile before it launched. I fired hails of fiery AK fire which shot several enemies, then I aimed and gunned a couple soldiers down that were firing at me. I raced to new cover, but the Soviet kept furiously firing hails of shots at me that raked my position. I hid behind cover to escape the barrage, then I aimed and fired shots back that raked enemy positions, I fired and shot a few soldiers, but then a tanker with a flamethrower sprayed fire at me. After taking cover, I concentrated my aim and gunned the flamethrower operator down. With that, after dodging some volleys, I fired rifle fire that shot a few soldiers, then I dodged shots and fired intense gunfire that nailed several Soviets in the fierce fire fight... After much fighting, I got very close to the rocket.

I knew I was running out of time, and I still had to get the truck carrying the uranium missile safely away, or else the ensuing explosion would take out a lot more than just us. So, with me very near the bomb itself, I rushed over and started setting the charges on the base of the missile, carefully so that they would go off only when the rocket launched... After careful concentration, I managed to place and set the charges, then I rushed over to cover.

Once behind cover, I looked over to see Reznov fighting with Vylkalev, the two men fiercely wrestling with the other to struggle the PPSH out of the other's hands. In much fierce fighting, they both held onto the PPSH, fiercely wrestling for the gun, but after much hard struggling, they both still held on, keeping their firm grips on the PPSH. Even so, Reznov and Vylkalev just kept viciously wrestling very hard in the fierce battle.

As I watched Reznov and Vylkalev struggling to wrestle the PPSH out of each other's hands, I now had to get the Zil truck out of here before the timer went out. As Reznov and Vylkalev kept wrestling fiercely in a hard fight, I rushed over to reach the Zil tractor, but I was stopped by more Soviets coming out to stop me.

"Shit!" I shouted, continuing to fight past the guards.

The Soviets fired hails of shots at me, but I dodged them and fired AK fire back that raked the enemy positions. In the fierce fire fight, I fired and shot a few enemies, then I aimed to gun a couple other soldiers down, but the Soviets fired powerful shots back that raked my position, sending me to cover. Still, I held my ground, for I fired shots that nailed a few more Soviets, then I dodged soaring enemy bullets flying at me to dash for another cover piece. Reznov was still fighting hard with Vylkalev, wrestling him fiercely for the PPSH, and I struggled to get to the Zil tractor carrying the uranium missile. Still, I kept pushing, evading the powerful enemy shots raining over me as I fired AK fire that shot several Soviets, then I carried onward, shooting a couple other soldiers firing at me. A machine gun then opened up and blazed Hellish rounds at my direction, keeping me in cover. Eventually, as I dodged the fire, I took aim and shot the enemy gunner down, letting me move up.

Reznov and Vylkalev kept fighting in vicious wrestling, each holding onto the PPSH as I struggled to reach the Zil truck. After dodging bullets that nearly cut me down, I fired AK fire that shot several enemies in the fierce fire fight, but a tanker with a flamethrower came in and sprayed flames at me. The fire surrounded my post, and I felt the searing heat, but I pushed through, getting to a new cover piece and then shooting the tanker down. After that, I dodged raining bullets and then fired gunfire that nailed a few other soldiers, but some enemies kept firing at me and driving me to cover. After evading the powerful shots, I fired hails of AK fire that shot several enemies firing at me, but another machine gun blazed furious rounds that nearly took me down. After dodging the machine gun shots raining on my post, I fired shots that raked the enemy nest, but the gunner kept firing. Eventually, I concentrated and shot the enemy gunner, then moved up as Reznov kept viciously wrestling with Vylkalev.

The battle raged heavily, with me shooting any enemies in my way while trying not to get shot myself. I gunned a couple soldiers down, then dodged bullets as I then fired AK fire that shot a few more Soviets. A tanker with a flamethrower, however, came in and emitted flames that incinerated the crates surrounding me. I dodged the enemy attack and then fired shots back to fend him off, but the tanker kept coming. Still, I jumped to another post and then aimed to shoot the flame thrower operator, his pack creating an explosion that engulfed him. As I kept fighting the Soviet guards, Reznov and Vylkalev still wrestled fiercely and hard for the PPSH. After dodging some bullets, I fired and shot a few more enemies, then aimed and gunned a couple soldiers down that came at me, then I evaded shots and fired intense gunfire back that nailed a few more attacking Soviets firing at me. A machine gun then fired hails of shots at me, driving me to cover, but I took aim and then shot the gunner in return.

I kept fighting through the Soviet guards, with a couple enemies raining immense machine gun fire over me. I simply took cover and fired AK shots that fended them off, then I rushed over to the nearby office where I was sure I would find the keys to the Zil tractor, then I could get the missile out of here.

As I searched the office, I found the exact keys I was looking for and then made my way out, encountering more furious Soviets that fired hails of shots at me and keeping me from moving... So I engaged them.

"Come at me," I said, "I'll take you all on!"

The fierce skirmish raged on as I kept fighting past the incoming Soviet soldiers, and these guards proved to be very tough to handle. Still, I pressed on, doing my best to fend them off as I made my way to the Zil truck. As the Soviets fired shots at me, I dodged the bullets and then shot a couple soldiers in return, then I aimed and gunned a couple other enemies firing at me. Reznov kept fighting with Vylkalev in vicious, hard wrestling, so I rushed further towards the truck, but was stopped when a tanker with a flamethrower came in and sprayed fire at me. The tanker kept emitting hot flames, but I dashed to another post, aimed and shot the enemy. With that, I dodged gunshots and then fired AK fire that nailed a few more enemies, but a Soviet machine gun started raining hails of shots at me, keeping me pinned. As it shot up my post, I fired shots back, only for it to keep firing, so I concentrated and shot the gunner. I shot a couple soldiers, then I dodged bullets to fire shots that nailed a few more enemies.

I kept moving up as Reznov was wrestling Vylkalev very fiercely in a hard battle, fighting past very strong Soviet guards that rained hails of Hellish fire at me. In return, I fired AK shots that raked the Soviet positions firing at me, then I got even closer to the truck. More Soviets came at me, furiously firing consistent gunfire that raked my position, so I fired AK fire back as I dodged their shots and moved from post to post, with me firing and shooting several enemies with AK fire. However, as I engaged some remaining guards, a machine gun nest fired at me, raking my post to pieces. The nest kept blazing and keeping me from moving, but soon, I got my chance and rushed to some crates, and from there, I aimed and shot the gunners. Reznov and Vylkalev were still engaged in hard fighting as they wrestled viciously for the PPSH, so I kept firing AK shots at remaining enemies. After evading enemy fire, I fired AK shots that nailed several remaining Soviets, letting me get even closer to the Zil truck.

After fierce fighting, I had eliminated the last of the Soviet guards, and time was beginning to run short now before the missile launched. As Reznov kept fighting Vylkalev, I rushed to the Zil truck carrying the uranium missile, entered the driver's side, and used the key to turn it on, then I proceeded to drive the truck over to Reznov.

"Hold on, Viktor," I spoke, "I'm coming."

I drove the truck over near the platform, where I could pick up Reznov. As I saw, Reznov was still fiercely battling Vylkalev, struggling with him over the PPSH gun. They both held their grip on the gun, and Reznov and Vylkalev just kept viciously wrestling for the PPSH. They struggled very hard to get the gun out of each other's hands, but the two men kept wrestling fiercely, refusing to release their hold on the weapon. Eventually, after much fierce fighting and Reznov and Vylkalev viciously wrestling for the PPSH, Reznov ultimately became the victor, for he got the gun out of Vylkalev's hands, gaining the advantage.

...But his adversary wasn't finished yet, for Vylkalev suddenly took out a pistol, Reznov's very own Model 27 gun, aimed and then shot him seriously a couple times in the stomach.

"Reznov!" I shouted in despair, "Viktor!" I jumped out of the Zil truck and made my way over to the man, but my foot caught got in some chains and I stumbled over. I worked tirelessly to get my foot out of the chains to get over to my friend before any more damage could be done.

Reznov staggered with his serious wounds, as his back fell against some crates, blood streaming from the sides of his mouth. Vylkalev went up to the man and seized his grip on Reznov's right arm while aiming Reznov's old Model 27 at him, with Reznov holding onto Vylkalev's wrist... And the two men glared at each other.

"...Everyone... Everyone sees you as a hero, a legend," Vylkalev said angrily to Reznov through his teeth, seemingly out of resentment, "But I know who you really are. You're just an ordinary, simple man with a gun... That's why you couldn't fight for the Red Army, that's why you couldn't serve Stalin, and that's why you can't stop these missiles!"

Reznov, however, spoke to him in return, "...I'm not... Stopping them!"

As they kept wrestling, Vylkalev looked over to the launching missile, and to his surprise, saw me, seeing that I had succeeded... That was when Reznov, as he held his grip on Vylkalev's left arm, reached and seized the Model 27 pistol from his hand, aim it, and fire a shot that hit Vylkalev in the throat.

Reznov then fired the remaining shots into Vylkalev's stomach, and the two men fell to the ground. I struggled to get back up as I then rushed over to Reznov, helping him up by resting his arm on my shoulder, then with his other arm, he aimed the now Model 27 pistol at Vylkalev while giving a glare.

Vylkalev lay on the platform, his cap having fallen off and blood pouring out of his mouth and stomach wounds. He started looking up towards Reznov, and then Vylkalev slowly gave a weak smile to him.

"...I... I will die," Vylkalev spoke, "I've accepted my fate already... You wish to seal it, Viktor?"

Reznov kept the pistol aimed, but as he still held onto his glare, he slowly lowered the gun and then spoke, "...I'm not going to kill you, Mikhail," Reznov then looked at me before he then turned back to Vylkalev, "...But that doesn't mean I have to save you."

Vylkalev kept his smile and then slowly closed his eyes while I helped Reznov to the Zil truck, with me picking up Reznov's PPSH with my other hand and bringing it with us. I got Reznov over to the Zil truck, getting him into the passenger seat and placing his PPSH and Model 27 guns on the floor of the truck, then I got into the driver's seat to begin starting up the vehicle with the turn of the key.

With the truck revving up and the time beginning to wind down on the clock, I began speeding off with Reznov, taking the uranium missile with us as we hurriedly left the area... And while I was still close enough, I looked back to see Vylkalev still calmly lying on the ground, accepting of his fate.

I drove as far away as possible from within the time limit, just getting over on top of a dune when I looked back just in time to see the missile beginning the launch, setting off the charges and creating a massive explosion that engulfed the whole platforms, blasting apart the missiles and spread flames and explosions around like wildfire... And taking Vylkalev with it.

...That was it... The missiles, his plans, destroyed... Vylkalev was dead... He's gone, it's all gone...


	42. End of an Era

... ...

...Reznov didn't have much long... He could be gone any minute now...

I drove the Zil truck across the desert paths, making my way to Pakistan, just nearby Khost. A British base awaited for my return once I got there, where they could take the missile off my hands and inspect the uranium... Hopefully, I could get Reznov there in time as well.

As I neared the border between the Khost province and Pakistan, I stopped the truck, seeing that I was getting low on fuel. Once stopped, I stepped out, seeing that there was no one else around, possibly for miles, I went to see if there were any extra fuel tanks. Luckily, there were a couple extra on the truck, so I refueled the tank and went back to keep driving.

It was very quiet and still where the two of us were, just calm desert... It was rather peaceful... But I wouldn't have time to really enjoy it, for I had to get across into Pakistan to my base.

Entering the tractor once more, I began starting the truck up again... But then I looked over to Reznov sitting next to me, and he appeared very tired and weakened, so I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Don't you worry, Vik," I said, "...I'm getting you out of here."

However, Reznov just placed a calm hand on me, "...No," Reznov said, "...No you're not."

"Viktor, just hold on... I can get you to any nearby village. There has to be one around here."

"...There's no point anymore," Reznov spoke, "...I'm an old man, and I have to accept this... It is now time for my passing... And I'd like to die as a soldier... It's a fitting end to my life."

"I can still get you out...I can get you back home."

"...Ever since my family was taken from me, I've wanted to die... I have still wanted it... All that stopped me so far, was that I also wished to share my life with Lin, then I had to find Mikhail... Now it's all complete."

"We're getting out together... It's my job to help you."

"...You have helped me... All I had left was vengeance, and now it's finished... My home is here, in war... That's what has consumed my life, and that's how it should end... I'm a soldier, and that's how I should die."

"...I am _not_ leaving you here."

"...John," Reznov spoke calmly, "...This is what I want... Let me have this."

"...Viktor... Please..."

Reznov offered a smile as he kept getting considerably weaker... Then he started fading away, just as he was saying, "...John... It's time I join them, my Comrades of the Red Army... Lin... Lilya..."

...After a moment, Reznov then spoke one last time... "...Dimitri..." ...And that was it... Reznov was gone...

I sat there in a bit of disbelief, looking at the now lifeless Reznov in sadness... It was too late... I sat there for a bit, taking my time to mourn... Well, after a moment, I decided to do one last thing before I made my way into Pakistan.

Since no one else was around, I stepped out of the truck, grabbed a shovel and walked over towards the top of a nearby mound of sand, where some large rocks were present. Once there, I dug a man sized hole in the top of the mound, digging until it was large enough. With that, I back to get and carry Reznov's body to the top of the mound, then I laid him in the grave, placing a robe over his body once he was in the hole.

As I began to finish the burial, I looked on Reznov's PPSH, where I saw his name written in Russian inscribed on the stock. With that, I placed the PPSH gun and the Model 27 pistol in the grave with him, then with my knife, I went over to one of the large rocks and began carving.

Once finished, I had carved "Виктор Резнов" into the rock... I proceeded to cover up the grave with sand and then place the large rock with the inscription at the head... Now finished, I stood there, looking at the grave in solace.

A moment passed as I stood there in mourning, staring at the grave... After some time, I slowly walked back to the truck, entering and starting it up... Then I drove towards Pakistan, by myself.

...Leaving my friend in peace... Eventually, I would get back home...

* * *

 _...I learned much from that man. I'm sure those skills would help me later in life._

 _War is a savage practice... The reason why the Allies won the War against the Axis; Stalin had more men, and he was willing to let them all die... I know that this war was different, as it actually was a battle of good versus evil, but sometimes, a lot of times, the side of good should be willing to be a ruthless force, that's what's needed to crush the forces of evil, that sacrifices should be made for this cause._

 _...Viktor understood this, he was ruthless when he fought, but he was also brave. He fought to save his country, and that meant destroying his enemy, because sometimes, vengeance and justice are the same._

 _Sure, Reznov wanted revenge, but he also wanted to save the innocent, even if Stalin didn't... Unfortunately, war had consumed his whole life, but Reznov was always a strong soldier... A Hero..._

 _...Now, he can finally have his peace..._


End file.
